MOTL LIBERMAN

MOTL LIBERMAN (b. 1897)

            He was born in Slonim, Byelorussia, into a working-class family.  During WWI he moved with his parents to Minsk.  He studied in religious elementary school and a state school, and he later worked as a teacher in Jewish schools in various cities of Byelorussia.  He was known as a bibliographer and a literary critic.  From 1925 he was contributing work in Oktyabr (October) in Minsk (1925-1941) and in the monthly Shtern (Star) in Minsk (1925-1941); he also placed work Yunger leninets (Young Leninist) in Minsk (1929-1937; over the years 1930-1933, he was also editor).  His work also appeared in: Der emes (The truth) in Moscow; Ratnbildung (Soviet education) in Kharkov (1928-1937); and Der apikoyres (The heretic) in Moscow (1931-1935); among others.  He authored the pamphlet: Biblyotekn tsu dinst der sotsyalistisher boyung (Libraries in the service of socialist construction) (Minsk, 1932), 72 pp.  Together with F. Zaltsman and Kh. Maltinski, he compiled the reader Literarishe zamlung far kinder-gertner (Literary anthology for kindergarteners) (Minsk, 1936), 126 + 3 pp.  There has been no further information about him since the start of WWII.

Sources: B. Nadel, in Ratnbildung (Kharkov) 10-11 (9132); N. Rubinshteyn, Dos yidishe bukh in sovetn-farband 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 (The Yiddish book in the Soviet Union, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935), see indices; Chone Shmeruk, comp., Pirsumim yehudiim babrit-hamoatsot, 1917-1961 (Jewish publications in the Soviet Union, 1917-1961) (Jerusalem, 1961), see index; information from Al. Pomerants in New York.

Khayim Leyb Fuks

[Additional information from: Chaim Beider, Leksikon fun yidishe shrayber in ratn-farband (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers in the Soviet Union), ed. Boris Sandler and Gennady Estraikh (New York: Congress for Jewish Culture, Inc., 2011), pp. 202-3.]