BEN-TSIEN TSANGER

BEN-TSIEN TSANGER (October 29, 1901-February 26, 1955)

            He was born in Rozvadov (Rozwadów), western Galicia, in a wealthy Hassidic family.  Until age seventeen, he was preparing for ordination into the rabbinate.  He passed the examinations as an external student for high school.  He debuted in print in Moyshe Frostik’s Togblat (Daily newspaper) in Lodz (1922).  He published in Yiddish, Polish, and Hebrew literary treatments, book reviews, and responses to theatrical performances in: Folks-shtime (Voice of the people), Folk un land (People and land), Tsushteyer (Contribution), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), Togblat, Yidisher literarisher kalendar (Jewish literary calendar), Dos yidishe folk (The Jewish people), Morgen (Morning), Nowy dziennik (New daily), Chwila (Moment), and others.  Over the years 1929-1932, he served as editor of the literary supplement to Lemberg’s Morgen.  He translated stories from world literature and together with Leon Vaynshtok translated the play Freylin doktor (Madame doctor), staged by Ida Kaminska in Poland and elsewhere.  He contributed to the work of YIVO in Lemberg and was active in the society “Fraynd fun yidishn teater” (Friends of Yiddish theater) in Lemberg.  In 1939, after the outbreak of WWII, he came to the land of Israel via Romania and Turkey; there he wrote for the Hebrew and Yiddish press: Davar (Word), Davar hashavua (Word of the week), Haboker (This morning), Hatsofe (The spectator), Omer (Word), Al hamishmar (On guard), and Yediot hayom (Information today).  Over the course of several years, he was a theater reviewer for Hege (Steering wheel), a newspaper printed with vowel points for immigrants (edited by Dov Sadan), and for many years served as the regular theater reviewer for Nayvelt (New world).  He published essays in Davar on the poets Dovid Kenigsberg, Ber Horovits, Yisroel Vaynlez, and other murdered Yiddish writers.  He died in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Dov Sadan, Kearat tsimukim (A bowl of raisins) (Tel Aviv, 1951/1952), see index; obituary notices in the Israeli press; D. Leybl, in Sefer hashana shel haitonim (Newspaper yearbook) (Tel Aviv, 1955-1956), p. 232; Meylekh Ravitsh, Mayn leksikon (My lexicon), vol. 3 (Montreal, 1958), p. 484; Y. Paner, Zikhronam liverakham (May their memory be for a blessing) (Tel Aviv, 1962).

Benyomen Elis