MORTKHE-ARYE NISENBOYM

MORTKHE-ARYE NISENBOYM (b. 1892)

            He was born in Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine, the son of the local rabbi.  He studied with his father, later in the yeshivas of Kletsk (Klieck) and Mir, where he received ordination into the rabbinate.  In 1913 he was rabbi in Lutshin (Luchyn), later a yeshiva headmaster in Pohast (Pahost, Pogost), Zvihil (Novohrad-Volynskyy), and Mohilev, where he lived until 1922.  For a short period of time he resided in Poland.  In 1924 he came to the United States.  Until 1931 he was rabbi of a synagogue in Chicago, and later (until 1934) he was rabbi in the Brownsville neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.  He began writing in Hebrew and in 1920 took up writing in Yiddish.  He published articles on religious matters in: Der yud (The Jew) in Warsaw; and Dos vort (The word) in Vilna.  In America he contributed to: Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal) and Dos idishe likht (The Jewish light) in New York; and Idisher kuryer (Jewish courier) in Chicago; among other venues.  Among the books he authored: Maamar mordekhai (Mordekhai’s essay) (Warsaw, 1923), second edition (Chicago, 1944), 64 pp.; Mosdot haemuna (Institutions of faith) (Chicago, 1924), 28 pp.; Hegyon lev (Logic of the heart) (New York, 1925), 48 pp.  In Yiddish: Kapital un arbayt, sotsyalizm min hatoyre (Capital and labor, socialism from the Torah) (Chicago, 1925), 43 pp.; Sotsyalizm fun di neviim (Socialism of the prophets)—“A very important book for everyone.  It provides an important logical explanation on the labor issue, the socialist program, and its critics” (Jerusalem, 1927), 48 pp. in Yiddish and 64 pp. in English (translated by B. Forman); Vos iz azoyns evolyushon? (What is this evolution?)—“This book gives an important, logical, scientific explanation of the issue of evolution from religious and scientific standpoints” (Jerusalem, 1927), 26 pp., second part (1928), 52 pp. in Yiddish and 6 pp. in Hebrew.  In 1935 he made his way to the land of Israel.  Further biographical information remains unknown.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928), see index; P. Vyernik, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (September 12, 1931; September 14, 1931); N. Bukhvald, in Morgn-frayhayt (New York) (September 14, 1931); Leah Mishkin, in Pinkas shikago (Records of Chicago) (1951/1952), p. 89.

Khayim Leyb Fuks