AKIVE FLAYSHMAN

AKIVE FLAYSHMAN (August 13, 1870-May 18, 1932)

            He was born in Dunayevtse (Dunaivtsi), Podolia.  He attended religious elementary school and yeshiva, and he also studied with private tutors.  He worked for a time as a schoolteacher.  In 1897 he came to New York.  For many years he was a Hebrew teacher and author in various yeshivas, and he was one of the first founders of the Hebrew teachers’ association in America.  For a time served as the New York correspondent for Hamelits (The advocate).  He published essays on Jewish education, nationality issues, and literary criticism in: Hatsfira (The siren) in Warsaw; Haivri (The Jew), Hapisga (The summit), and Haleom (The nation), among others.  He also contributed to Yudishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper) in New York.  In addition to articles and sketches, he published a great many of his own and translations (from Russian, German, and English) of popular newspaper novels in: Yudishes tageblat, Forverts (Forward), Der amerikaner (The American), and Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal) in New York; Idishe velt (Jewish world) in Philadelphia; and Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal; among others.  He was the editor of the first Hebrew journal for Hebrew teachers in America, Had hamora (Teacher’s echo) (New York, 1915).  He died in New York.

Sources: Ben-Tsien Ayzenshtadt, Dor rabanav vesofrav (A generations of rabbis and authors) (Vilna, 1913), p. 78; Daniel Perski, in Hadoar (New York) (Tevet 27 [= January 5], 1950); Tsvi Sharfshteyn, Arabaim shana beamerika (Forty years in America) (Tel Aviv, 1955/1956), p. 123; Dr. Zalmem Rabid, in Folk un tsien (Jerusalem) (Sivan-Tamuz [= June-July] 1965).

Khayim Leyb Fuks