KHAYIM-YANKEV EPSHTEYN (HYMAN J. EPSTEIN)

KHAYIM-YANKEV EPSHTEYN (HYMAN J. EPSTEIN) (ca. 1881-1951)

            He was born in Rogole (Ariogala?), near Kėdainiai, Lithuania.  He attended the local yeshiva and was renowned as a prodigy.  He came to the United States in his youth and completed his studies as a doctor of medicine.  He was one of the leaders and builders of the Bronx Jewish Hospital and was very active on behalf of Zionism and Hebrew.  He published poetry in newspapers.  Together with Borekh-Khayim Kasel (Bernard Cassel), he edited Keydan, a zamelbukh, aroysgegeben tsum draysig yohrigen yubileum fun dem kaydaner ferayn, 1900-1930 (Kėdainiai, an anthology, published for the thirtieth anniversary of the Keydan [Kėdainiai] association) (New York, 1930).  In it he published his memoirs, “Keydan a halbn yorhundert tsurik” (Kėdainiai, a half-century ago), pp. 46-51, and images of Kėdainiai on p. 51.  He also wrote essays in Hebrew.  He died in New York.

Sources: Obituary, in Hadoar (New York) (July 13, 1951); A. Sh. Shvarts, in Hadoar (July 17, 1957).

Leyb Vaserman