AVROM-HERSH FLAKSER

AVROM-HERSH FLAKSER (1896-winter 1942)

            The father of Fishl Flakser, he was born in Zharnev (Żarnów), Kelts (Kielce) district, Poland.  He studied in yeshivas.  Secular knowledge he acquired through self-study.  From 1921 until his death, he lived in Lodz.  He gave private Hebrew lessons.  He debuted in print with poems in Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper) in 1921, later switching to prose.  He mainly wrote lyrical miniatures and sketches of familiar Jewish shtetl ways of life.  He contributed work to: Folksblat (People’s newspaper), Nayer folksblat (New people’s newspaper), Oyfgang (Arise), and Vegn (Pathways), as well as other publications of the young Lodz poets’ group.  He was a regular contributor to Y. M. Vaysnberg’s Inzer hofening (Our hope) in Warsaw (1926-1936).  He published a number of novels there.  In book form: Erev morgn (Day before morning) (Lodz, 1937), 104 pp.  During Nazi rule in the years of WWII, he was confined in the Lodz ghetto and suffered greatly, and not wishing to received assistance from others, he died of hunger.

Sources: Sh. Zaromb, in Literarishe bleter (Warsaw) (December 25, 1937); B. Shnaper, in Foroys (Warsaw) (January 3, 1938); Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Fun noentn over (New York) 3 (1957), see index; Y. Goldkorn, Lodzher portretn, umgekumene yidishe shrayber un tipn (Lodz portraits, murdered Yiddish writers and types) (Tel Aviv, 1963).

Khayim Leyb Fuks