YITSKHOK (ITZHAK, YITZHAK) LUDEN

YITSKHOK (ITZHAK, YITZHAK) LUDEN (b. October 22, 1924)

            He was born in Warsaw, Poland, into a working-class family.  He graduated from a secular Jewish school and until WWII was active in the Bund’s children’s and youth organizations, “SKIF” (Sotsyalistishe kinder-farband, or Socialist children’s union) and Tsukunft (Future) in Warsaw.  When the Germans invaded Poland, he fled to Russia.  He survived the war years in Central Asia near the Afghanistan border.  He returned to Poland in 1946 and moved to Israel in 1949.  He studied art history and philosophy at Tel Aviv University.  He published articles in Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm) in Lodz (1948), in which, in addition to journalistic pieces, he also published translations, short monographs, and travel narratives concerning various Israeli settlements.  He was the art critic for Letste nayes (Latest news) in Tel Aviv and had a regular column entitled “Vokhediks af shabes” (Everyday on Saturday).  He wrote longer works on art for Gazit (Hewn stone) and Goldene keyt (Golden chain) in Tel Aviv.  From 1971 he served as editor of Lebnsfragn (Life issues) in Tel Aviv, and he wrote as well for Unzer tsayt (Our time) in Tel Aviv and Unzer shtime (Our voice) in Paris.  He translated Ḥayim Ḥefer’s Misdar haloḥamim (Parade of fighters) as Kemfer parad (Tel Aviv, 1968), 53 pp.  He also published Fun kholem tsu sholem (From dream to peace) (Tel Aviv: Letste nayes, 1979), 240 pp.; Perl fun ganeydn, vegn kunst un vegn kinstler, eseyen, ophandlungen un shmuesn (Pearls from paradise, on art and arts, essays, treatments and conversations) (Tel Aviv, 1987), 326 pp.; In geyeg nokh momentn (In pursuit of the moment) (Tel Aviv: Leivick House, 2009).  He was last living in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Sefer hashana shel haitonaim (The annual of newspapers) (Tel Aviv, 1955/1956), p. 244; Tsukunft (New York) (December 1956); Meylekh Ravitsh, Mayn leksikon (My lexicon), vol. 3 (Montreal, 1958), p. 478; Dr. Shloyme Bikl, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (June 14, 1958).

Khayim Leyb Fuks and Ruvn Goldberg

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 325.]