SHAME PINSKI

SHAME PINSKI (1882-August 23, 1941)

            He was born in Hornostaypol (Hornostaipil), Kiev district, Ukraine.  Until age eighteen he attended the Zhitomir Yeshiva and then left for Berlin, where he studied at the university.  Between 1903 and 1939, with interruptions, he lived in London and later, until his death, in the land of Israel.  He began publishing poetry in Yosef Ḥaim Brenner’s Hameorer (The awakening) in London.  He also contributed to the Yiddish press in London: Der londoner id (The London Jew), Di idishe tsukunft (The Jewish future), Unzer shtime (Our voice), and Idisher tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper).  Aside from poetry, he also published articles on the Jewish settlement in the land of Israel and on Zionist issues.  He authored the pamphlets: Der mayser (The tithe) (London: Jewish National Fund, 1908), 22 pp.; and Khalutsim (Pioneers) (London: Jewish National Fund, 1922), 32 pp.  He also placed work in: Davar (Word) and Hapoel hatsair (The young laborer) in Tel Aviv, among others.  In his memory was published a selected of his poetry: I hazahav, shirim (The island of gold, poems) (Tel Aviv, 1946), 121 pp., with appreciations by Osher Beylin and Y. Zmora.

Sources: Kitve r’ benyamin (The writings of Rabbi Benjamin) (Jerusalem, 1960), see index; Sefer hashana shel haitonaim (Yearbook for journalists) (Tel Aviv, 1941/1942), p. 162; Yosef Likhtenboym, in Shiratenu mibialik ad yamenu (Our poetry from Bialik to our own time) (Tel Aviv, 1962), p. 159.

Khaim Leyb Fuks.