YITSKHOK MILAKOVSKI

YITSKHOK MILAKOVSKI (b. December 2, 1912)

            He was born in Vilna.  He attended a public school and a Polish-Jewish high school.  He studied medicine at Vilna University.  He was active in Maccabi, Vilbig (Vilner yidisher bildungs gezelshaft, or Vilna Jewish Education Society), and YIVO in Vilna.  In 1939, following the outbreak of WWII, he left for Gluboke (Glubokoye or Hlybokaye), Vilna region, and from there he was evacuated deep inside Russia.  In 1942 he was arrested by the Soviet authorities.  He thrown in prison and endured forced labor for seven years.  In 1949 he was freed and returned to Poland.  In 1950 he settled in the state of Israel.  In 1932 he began writing articles in Vilner tog (Vilna day) and from that point contributed to: Radyo (Radio), Di bine (The stage), Vilner almanakh (Vilna almanac) of 1937, and Wieczór Wilna (Vilna evening)—in Vilna; and Velt-shpigl (World mirror), Ilustrirte vokh (Illustrated week), and Moment (Moment)—in Warsaw.  After WWII he wrote for: Dos naye lebn (The new life) in Warsaw; Dos vort (The word), Di vokh (The week), Letste nayes (Latest news) Folksblat (People’s newspaper), Heymish (Familiar), and Almanakh, 10 yor medines yisroel (Almanac, ten year of the state of Israel)—all in Israel.  He was also a corresponding-collector of information for the Groyser verterbukh fun der yidisher shprakh (Great dictionary of the Yiddish language) in New York.  He was last living in Tel Aviv, a member of the committee of “Vilna Jews in Israel.”

Sources: Vilner almanakh (Vilna, 1937); Groyser verterbukh fun der yidisher shprakh (Great dictionary of the Yiddish language) (New York, 1961), p. 24.