YITSKHOK SHAPIRO

YITSKHOK SHAPIRO (August 10, 1890-July 28, 1947)

            He was born in Tshortkev (Chortkiv), Galicia.  He attended religious elementary school.  From 1914 he was living in Vienna, where he studied philosophy and ethnography in university and where he earned his doctoral degree.  He later emigrated to Canada.  He worked as a teacher in the Jewish schools of Winnipeg, Montreal, and Brooklyn.  He debuted in print in 1920 with journalistic pieces in Lemberger togblat (Lemberg daily newspaper).  He contributed to: Yudishe morgenpost (Jewish morning mail) in Vienna and Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter) in New York.  In book form: Di idishe arbeter-bank in erets-yisroel, ir rol un badaytung farn oyfboy-protses fun der idisher arbeter-ṿirtshaft in land (The Jewish labor bank in the land of Israel, its role and significance in the construction process of the Jewish labor economy in the country) (Tel Aviv, 1926), 67 pp.; Di natsyonal-ekonomishe badaytung funem idishn dertsiungs-problem (The national-economic significance of the problem of Jewish education) (Montreal, 1934), 14 pp.; Mayn bukh, a leyen- un ibungs-bukh farn ershtn lernyor (My book, a reading and exercise book for the first school year) (New York, 1944?), 122 pp.; Shpil un lern shprikhverter (Play and learn proverbs) (Chicago: L. M. Shteyn, 1940).  Pen names include: Y. Tshartkovski and Y. Hershelzohn.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen archive, YIVO (New York); Idisher kemfer (New York) (August 1, 1947).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 515-16.