AVROM PEKLER

AVROM PEKLER (1904-194?)

            He was born in Vilna.  He studied in religious elementary school and in Kahan’s Russian Jewish high school.  Over the years 1921-1923, he was a student in the Vilna Jewish technicum, later in the Warsaw Jewish teachers’ seminary, and in the scientific course at “Vilbig” (Vilner yidisher bildungs gezelshaft, or Vilna Jewish Education Society).  He was the first employee at YIVO (1925-1926) and the first secretary of YIVO’s bibliographical center.  He was a follower of the Bund.  He published articles and bibliographic works in Warsaw’s Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper), Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm), Vokhnshriftn (Weekly writing), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), and in Vilner tog (Vilna day).  He also wrote under such pen names as: Pek, Avi-ver, and A. Anonim.  Of his bibliographic works, special mention should be made of: “Biblyografye tsu der frage kehile” (Bibliography of the question of Jewish community), Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper) in Warsaw (1924); “Biblyografye fun higyenish-meditsinisher literatur in yidish (1908-1923)” (Bibliography of medical hygiene literature in Yiddish, 1908-1928), Folks-gezund (People’s health) in Vilna (1925); “Vilne-biblyografye” (Bibliography of Vilna), Pinkes fun yekopo (Records of Yekopo [Yevreyskiy komitet pomoshchi zhertvam voyny—“Jewish Relief Committee for War Victims”]) in Vilna (1931).  He had prepared for publication: a medical hygiene bibliography, beginning with the oldest remedy books and going to 1926; a bibliography of Heinrich Heine in Yiddish; a bibliography of Sholem Asch; and a bibliography of books and articles concerning the Bund

Sources: Autobiographical notes; “Yizker” (Remembrance), Yivo-bleter (New York) 1 (1945), p. 16; Leyzer Ran, 25 yor yung vilne (Twenty-five years of Young Vilna) (New York, 1955).

Leyzer Ran