YANKEV MOVSHOVITSH

YANKEV MOVSHOVITSH (1893-June 1941)

            He was born in Dubrove (Dubrowo), near Sokolke (Sokółka), Bialystok district, Russian Poland, into a rabbinical family.  He attended religious elementary school and yeshiva, and he studied with private tutors as well.  He was living in Sokółka during WWI, later in Kelm (Kelmė).  From 1919 he was an active leader of the Agudat Yisrael in Vilna.  In 1931 he became rabbi of Greater Brestovitsi (?).  He was the founder and first editor of the weekly newspaper Dos vort (The world) in Vilna (1925-1931).  He also contributed to: Dos yudishe togblat (The Jewish daily newspaper) in Warsaw; and Der idisher arbayter (The Jewish worker) and Beys Yankev-zhurnal (Beys Yankev journal) in Lodz; among others.  He also used such pen names as: Rav Zeiri and Rav Ketina.  When the Nazis occupied Brestovitsi in June 1941, he and his family were shot.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928), see index; M. Prager, in Fun noentn over (New York) 2 (1956), p. 527; Y. Fridenzon, in Dos idishe vort (New York) (January 1963); information from Rabbi Shloyme Shuster in New York.

Khayim Leyb Fuks