PINKHES ERLIKH (PABLO ERLICH)

PINKHES ERLIKH (PABLO ERLICH) (May 17, 1917-2001)

            He was born in Tomashov-Lubelsk (Tomaszów Lubelski), Poland.  He studied at the Tora veavoda (Torah and belief) school, later well known as a part of the Yavne network of Mizrachi schools.  He graduated from a Polish elementary public school and middle school.  He was active in the Jewish national youth movement.  He debuted in print in 1934 with a poem on a pioneer motif in the Hebrew-language weekly Baderekh (On the road) in Warsaw.  He also contributed to the Polish periodical Zew młodych (Call of youth) in Lemberg.  In 1935 he immigrated to Argentina, where his father had earlier moved.  In Buenos Aires he studied pedagogy, psychotherapy, psycho-technique, and pursued psychology at university in Argentina.  From time to time he placed poetry and articles in the daily Idishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper) in Tel Aviv, and articles and a column, “Shmuesn mit eltern un dertsier” (Conversations with parents and educator), in the daily Di prese (The press) in Buenos Aires; he also contributed a column “Notitsn fun a lerer” (Notes from a teacher) for the weekly Naye tsayt (New times) in Buenos Aires.  He served as co-editor of the journals: Yidishe dertsiung (Jewish education) with Sh. Tsesler and Tsvi Bronshteyn; Darom (South), the only Hebrew-language journal in South America; Prokim, horim (Chapters, parents) (?) in Buenos Aires; and the supplement “Daf ivri” (Hebrew page) to Haynt (Today) in Montevideo.  He was also editor or co-editor of school almanacs and school journals.  He served as director of the first and oldest Hebrew school in Buenos Aires, named for the Zionist leader Nachman Gezang.  In book form: Blimelekh, ershter teyl (Little flowers, part 1) (Buenos Aires, 1949), 104 pp.; Blimelekh, tsveyter teyl (Little flowers, part 2) (Buenos Aires, 1951), 151 pp.; Yidish, 1ter teyl (Yiddish, part 1) (Buenos Aires, 1958), 152 pp.; Yidish, 2ter teyl (Yiddish, part 2) (Buenos Aires, 1958), 224 pp.; Hertsl un byalik (Herzl and Bialik) (Buenos Aires, 1958), 100 pp., in both Yiddish and Hebrew; Mayn yidish bikhele (My little Yiddish book) (Buenos Aires, 1964), 64 pp.; Mayn yidish bukh (My Yiddish book) (Buenos Aires, 1964), 72 pp.; Yidishe klangen (Yiddish sounds) (Buenos Aires, 1965), 105 pp.; Yidish literarishe antologye (Yiddish literary anthology) (Buenos Aires, 1960), 340 pp.; Undzer yidishe geshikhte, arbets-bukh (Our Jewish history, workbook) (Buenos Aires), 64 pp.; Yidishe kvaln, khrestomatye far di hekhere gradn folks-shul (Jewish springs, reader for the upper grades in public school) (Buenos Aires: Sh. Segal, 1969), 238 pp.  He also wrote for: Haynt in Montevideo; Der veg (The way) in Mexico City; and Yisroeldike yidishe tsaytung (Israeli Yiddish newspaper), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Yisroel shtime (Voice of Israel) in Tel Aviv; among others.  He translated Dan Almagor’s musical play Ish ḥasid haya (There was a Hassid) into Yiddish, and it was staged in Mexico City in 1970 and in Argentina in 1974.  As of 1966 he had prepared for publication: “Yidishe vertn” (Jewish values), “Literarishe formen” (Literary forms), and “Mayne hundert kinder-lider” (My 100 children’s songs).  He also wrote under the pen names: Menakhem Amiti and Pinkhes Ayin.  From 1978 he was living in Israel.

Moyshe Shtarkman

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 420-21.]