Y.
A. MERISON (May 6, 1866-January 18, 1941)
The adopted name of Yankev-Avrom
Yerukhimovitsh, he was born in Yevye (Vievis), Vilna district. He attended religious elementary school and a
yeshiva in Novigoror (an area within Vilna).
At age twelve he left for Kovno, where he studied on his own and in the
synagogue study hall under the supervision of the Musar follower, Rabbi Hirsh,
head of the Slobodka yeshiva. It was
there that he secretly consulted a Hebrew grammar, as well as grammars of
Russian and German, read works of the Jewish Enlightenment movement, and under
the influence of M. L. Lilienblum’s Ḥatot neurim (Sins of youth), turned his
attention to secular education, abandoned his studies, roamed through various
towns, served for several terms as a village teacher, worked as a Hebrew
teacher in Vilna and other cities, mastered Russian and German, and continued
reading Enlightenment works. Under the
influence of Leo Pinsker’s Selbstemanzipation (Auto-emancipation), he
became a “Ḥovev tsiyon” (Lover of Zion).
In 1887 he came to the United States.
He worked at first in a sweatshop stitching shirts, while at the same
time industriously studying English, giving lessons in Hebrew and English, and
later studying medicine at Columbia University.
In 1892 he completed his studies to be a doctor and practiced medicine
in New York. After arriving in America,
Merison became one of the leaders of Jewish anarchist movement there. His literary work began in 1889 as a contributor
and member of the editorial board of the periodical Di varhayt (The truth)—together with Yoysef Yaffa, M. Kats, H.
Zolotarov, and L. Luis—in which he was in charge of a section (writing as “F.
A. Frank”) entitled “Folks-verterbukh” (people’s dictionary) in which he
explained in an anarchist manner revolutionary and natural scientific
concepts. Later—using such pseudonyms as
F. Frey, Sar Shel Yam, F. Frank, and Dr. M-n—he published journalistic pieces
on issues of socialism and anarchism in: Fraye
arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor) and Abend blat (Evening newspaper) in New York; and Arbayter fraynd (Workers’ friend) in
London; among other serials. He assisted
Morris Rozenfeld with language, grammar, and the like in bringing out Di glokke (The bell) (New York, 1888),
67 pp. (which includes, coincidentally, a poem by Merison). He worked for a time in 1890 as an editor for
Fraye arbeter-shtime. Over the years 1899-1902, he served as editor
of the revived anarchist monthly Fraye
gezelshaft (Free society) in New York.
Around 1906 he became an adherent of parliamentarism, and in June of
that year he published a series of articles on this subject in Fraye arbeter-shtime (the articles
shortly thereafter appeared in pamphlet form).
This led to a stinging polemic in anarchist circles, as well as between
him and the anarchist leaders, and Merison thus withdrew from anarchist
activities. Aside from practicing
medicine, Merison dedicated himself entirely to scholarly work and to his
translations of philosophical, sociological, and pedagogical works from other
languages into Yiddish. He was a close
contributor to Dos naye leben (The
new life), a monthly out of New York, edited by Dr. Chaim Zhitlovsky, and there
he published, among other items, the philosophical study, “Di eyntsikeyt fun
mentshn in veltal” (The uniqueness of people in the universe), and in the last
year of the journal’s publication (1922) he was in charge of the section “In
der velt fun filosofye un visnshaft” (In the world of philosophy and science). In 1920 following the resignation of Sh.
Yanovski as editor of Fraye
arbeter-shtime, he edited the journal in New York over the months
April-August. Together with Leybush
Lehrer and Yankev Levin, in 1924 he co-edited the bimonthly pedagogical journal
Undzer kind (Our child), published by
the education section of the Kultur-lige (Culture league) in New York. Of his original work in book form, we have: Der anarkhizmus un di politishe tetikeyt, a
kritik un a forshlog (Anarchism and political action, a critique and a
proposal) (New York: Max N. Mayzel, 1905), 48 pp., second edition (1906); Muter un kind, a lehrbukh far der muter vi
zikh tsu fihren beysn shvangern un vi tsu hodeven dos kind (Mother and
child, a textbook for mothers on how to conduct oneself during pregnancy and
how to raise the child) (New York: Mayzel and Comp., 1912), 64 pp. “published based on the latest medical
sources”; Ideal un virklekhkeyt
(Ideal and reality) (New York: Frayhayt, 1914), 31 pp., “anarcho-syndicalist
monthly of the Yiddish language federation of America”; Higyene, di lehre vi tsu farhiten dos gezund (Hygiene, the teaching
of how to care for one’s health), with images (New York: Workmen’s Circle
Education Committee, 1917), 100 pp.; Fizyologye,
ershter teyl: der mentshlekher kerper, a kurs lektsyes gegebn in dem yidishn
folks-universitet (Physiology, part 1: The human body, a course of lessons
given at the Jewish people’s university) (New York: Workmen’s Circle Education
Committee, 1914), 94 pp., second edition (1915), bearing the subtitle: “Der
mentshlekher kerper: gevebn, beyner un muskuln” (The human body: tissues,
bones, and muscles); Fizyologye, 2ter
teyl: di blut-tsirkulatsye un der protses fun othemen (Physiology, part 2:
Circulaiton of the blood and the process of breathing) (New York: Literarishe
farlag, 1918), 96 pp., subsequent editions followed; Fizyologye, 3ter teyl: der protses fun fardeyung (Physiology, part
3: The process of digestion) (New York: Workmen’s Circle Education Committee,
1918), 106 pp. He later went on to
publish: Di fizyologye fun mentshn
(The physiology of people), 5 parts (New York: Workmen’s Circle Education
Committee, 1925)—the first three parts were reprinted from his earlier works,
parts 4 and 5, “Der nerven-sistem” (The nervous system), 217 pp.; Di teorye un praktik fun anarkhizm,
geklibene shriften (The theory and practice of anarchism, selected
writings) (New York: Naye gezelshaft and Ferer senter [branches of Workmen’s
Circle], 1927), 371 pp.; Meditsinishe
visnshaft, di sibes, simptomen un
farhitung fun farsheydene krankhaytn (Medical science, the causes,
symptoms, and prevention of diseases), vol. 6 of “Populere visnshaftlekhe
biblyotek” (Library of popular science) (New York-Warsaw, 1929), 167 pp.; Di printsipen fun anarkhizm (The
principles of anarchism) (New York: “Naye
gezelshaft,” Br. 364 of Workmen’s Circle, 1934), 62 pp. Among his translations, the following
appeared in book form: Henry David Thoreau, Di
flikht fun ungehorkhzamkeyt tsum shtat (On the Duty of Civil Disobedience),
with an introduction about Thoreau and his times (New York: N. Mayzel, 1907),
64 pp.; (using the pen name F. A. Frank) Enrico Malatesta, Der anarkhizmus (Anarchism) (London,
1908), 43 pp.; John Stuart Mill, Frayhayt
(On Liberty), with a biography of the author and a preface by Dr. Chaim
Zhitlovsky (New York: A. M. Evolenko, 1909), 258 pp.; Dr. Paul Eltzbacher, Der anarkhizm (Anarchism [original: Der Anarchismus]) (New York:
Internatsyonale biblyotek, 1909), 347 pp., second edition (1910); Herbert Spencer,
Di ershte printsipn fun a system fun
sintetisher filozofye (The first principles of a system of synthetic
philosophy), “translated from the English original” (New York: Internatsyonale
biblyotek, 1910), 197 pp., second edition published by “Literarishe farlag”;
Spencer, Di ertsihung, gaystig, moralish
un fizish (Education: Intellectual, Moral, and Physical) (New York: M. N.
Mayzel, 1910), 279 pp., second edition (1911); (using the pen name A. Yam)
Henrik Ibsen, Hedda gabler (Hedda
Gabler) (New York: Mayzel et Co., 1910), 137 pp.; Di
froy fun yam
(The lady from the sea [original: Fruen fra Havet])
(New York: Mayzel et Co., 1910), 133 pp., and included in Gezamlte dramen (Selected plays) (New York: Mayzel et Co., 1926);
Charles Darwin, Di opshtamung fun mentshn
in der opkleyb beshaykhes tsu geshlekht (The Descent of Man, and Selection
in Relation to Sex), with a biographical sketch of Darwin and an introduction
to Darwinism by Professor J. Arthur Thomson, 3 vols., illustrated (New York: N.
Mayzel, 1921), 364 pp., 368 pp., 312 pp.
Merison also edited social scientific works that others translated. In 1913 he founded in New York the “Kropotkin
Literature Society,” which functioned until 1921 and over the course of the
eight years of its existence published a great number of social science works
and disseminated them in many thousands of copies. This press also published his translation of
Peter Kropotkin’s works: Gegenzaytige
hilf bay khayes un menshen als a faktor fun entviklung (Mutual aid among
animals and people as a factor of evolution [original: Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution]), including a special foreword
by Kropotkin to the Yiddish edition (New York, 1913), 433 pp.; Felder, fabrikn un verksheper, oder industrye
ferbunden mit agrikultur (original: Fields,
Factories, and Workshops or Industry Combined with Agriculture and Brain Work with Manual Work]),
“translated following the last, improved edition” (New York, 1914), 410 pp.; Di etik, di opshtamung un antviklung fun
moral (Ethics, the origin and evolution of morals), part 2 of vol. 1, with
an introduction by N. Lebedyev (New York, 1924), 283 pp., (1932 edition as
well). In the 1930s, YIVO in Vilna began
publishing Merison’s works. As a beginning
they published: Di ershte
printsipn fun a system fun sintetisher filozofye by Herbert Spencer,
“translated from the English original by Dr. Y. A. Merison,” with a foreword by
Dr. Chaim Zhitlovsky, entitled “Hegel, Spencer, and Marx” (Vilna: YIVO, 1937),
538 pp. + 22 pp. To express acknowledgement
to distinguished scholars, YIVO created the Merison Fund to publish in Yiddish
translation classics of social science and, first of all, his own
translations. Just before the outbreak
of WWII, there appeared a translation of Herbert Spencer’s Di printsipn fun etik (The principles of ethics), vol. 1, part 1
(Vilna: Merison Fund, YIVO, 1939), 292 pp.
The war and the Holocaust interrupted YIVO’s publishing activities in
Vilna, and the second part of this work in Dr. Merison’s translation remained
in manuscript. In the summer of 1939
Merison had already completed his translation of Franz Boas’s Der gayst fun primitivn mentshn (The
Mind of Primitive Man). It turned out,
though, that just then the author (Boas) published a second edition with
considerable emendation. YIVO asked
Merison to make the necessary changes, and Merison preferred (in the summer of
1940) to translate the entire second edition of the new work, but because of
the war and the Holocaust this manuscript as well remained unpublished. (Merison’s handwritten manuscript may be
found in the YIVO archives.) He also
published in Pinkes (Records) “A por
verter vegn di tfile-zakes” (A couple of words about the confessional prayers),
and he prepared for YIVO editions of other works. In the late 1930s, he became so ill that had
to relinquish his medical practice which he had begun close to a half century
earlier among the Jews on New York’s East Side, both in his private office and
as one of the most prominent physicians in the Workmen’s Circle. Merison belonged to that sort of Jewish
doctor who not only took poor patients without any money, but often gave them
the money to purchase medicine. For a
long period of time, he was a teacher of biology at the Jewish teachers’
seminary in New York. He was so weak
over the years 1940-1941 that he was unable to leave his bed, but he was still
writing for Fraye arbeter-shtime and
other serials. His last work, which
began to be published in Fraye
arbeter-shtime one day before his death (Friday, January 17, 1941), was his Yiddish translation of Vilhjalmur Steffanson’s “Dos eynfakh un gut lebn fun a primitive
folk” (The simple and good life of a primitive people), which was carried in
installments until February 21, 1941. He
died at his home in the Bronx.
Muter un kind (Mother and child), price:
20 cents
Sources:
Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2, with
a bibliography; Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish
theater), vol. 2 (New York, 1934), under “A. Yam”; Dr. K. Fornberg, in Tsukunft (New York) (November 1905;
December 1905); Fornberg (writing as K. F.), in Tsukunft (May 1910; August 1910); L. B. Budyanov-Budin, in Tsukunft (March 1907); Y. Klohrbakh, in Tsukunft (November 1910); Tsvien, in Tsukunft (April 1911); R[ivkin], B., in Tsukunft (January 1915); Ben-Yakir (Dr.
F. Rozenblat), in Tsukunft (September
1916); M. Terman, in Tsukunft (1917);
Dr. Chaim Zhitlovsky, in Tsukunft
(January 1918); Dr. H. Frank, in Fraye
arbeter-shtime (New York) (July 22, 1927; July 29, 1927); Frank, editorial
in Fraye arbeter-shtime (January 19,
1951), p. 4; Biblyografishe
yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928), see
index; Moyshe Shtarkmen, in Pinkes
(New York) 1 (1927-1928); Shtarkman, in Yivo-bleter
(Vilna) 4.4-5 (1932); Shtarkman, in Yorbukh
(New York) (1942/1943); Shtarkman, in Tsukunft
(February 1951); Shmuel Niger, Lezer,
dikhter, kritiker (Reader, poet, critic), vol. 2 (New York, 1928), p. 464;
Niger, in Tog (New York) (May 29,
1932; July 9, 1932); M. Gordin, in Tsukunft
(June 1936); Kalmen Marmor, in Almanakh,
10 yoriker yubiley fun internatsyonaln arbeter ordn (Tenth anniversary of the International Workers Order) (New
York, 1940); Marmor, Dovid edelshtat
(Dovid Edelshtat) (New York, 1950), see index; M. V[aynraykh], in Yivo-bleter (New York) 17 (1941), pp.
64-67, with a listing of Merison’s writings; Y. Kahan, in Fraye arbeter-shtime (January 31, 1941; August 17, 1951); Kahan, Di yidishe anarkhistishe bavegung in amerike (The Jewish anarchist movement in the United States)
(Philadelphia, 1945); Dovid Izakovitsh, in Fraye
arbeter-shtime (January 31, 1941); Elye (Elias) Shulman, Geshikhte
fun der yidisher literatur in amerike (History of Jewish literature in
America) (New York, 1943), pp. 64, 70; Yivo-biblyografye
(YIVO bibliography) (New York: YIVO, 1943); E. Tsherikover, Geshikhte fun der yidisher arbeter-bavegung in di fareynikte
shtatn (The history of the Jewish labor movement in the United
States), vol. 2 (New York: YIVO, 1945), see index; Y. N. Shteynberg, Mit eyn fus in amerike (With one foot in
America) (Mexico City, 1951), pp. 140-44; A. Gordin, Eseyen (Essays) (New York, 1951), pp. 179-87; R. Roker, In shturem (In the storm) (Buenos Aires,
1952), see index; Y. B. Beylin, in Morgn-frayhayt
(New York) (May 11, 1958; May 18, 1958), index; Arbeter-ring boyer un tuer (Builders and leaders of the Workmen’s
Circle) (New York, 1962), p. 250; Who’s
Who in American Jewry, vol. 3 (New York, 1938-1939).
Zaynvl Diamant
[Additional
information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon
fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New
York, 1986), col. 384.]