BOREKH RUDERMAN

BOREKH RUDERMAN (December 13, 1865-February 22, 1928)

            He was born in Horodok, Vilna district.  He received a traditional Jewish education.  In 1882 he was orphaned on both sides.  He left for London, England, and became a tailor there.  He was one of the pioneers of the Jewish socialist movement in London and the first publisher of radical Yiddish books in England.  He brought out: Al nahares bovl (By the rivers of Babylon); Gloyben un fernunft (Beliefs and reason); and Israel Zangwill’s Troymers fun’m gheto (Dreamers of the ghetto); among others.  From 1901 he was writing short sketches, adapted from English, in the daily newspaper Der idisher zhurnal (The Jewish journal).  He published, with M. Yeger, and edited the weekly paper Der vanderer (The immigrant) (August 1902-March 1903).  From 1910 he was contributing to: Arbayter fraynd (Workers’ friend), Di tsayt (The times), Vaynberg’s Hoyz fraynd (House friend), and Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor) which for three or four years published his “Materyalen far geshikhte fun der idisher sotsyalistisher bavegung in England” (Materials for a history of the Jewish socialist movement in England).  In 1927 he began publishing in the daily Di idishe post (The Jewish mail), formerly Idisher ekspres (Jewish express), in London his “Zikhroynes fun der idisher arbayter-bavegung in England” (Memoirs of the Jewish labor movement in England).  Pen names: Ben-Leyzer, Moyshes Eynikl, B. R., Bukhhendler, and Internatsyonalist.  He died in London.

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4.

Berl Cohen