YOYSEF SHAPIRO

YOYSEF SHAPIRO (June 22, 1902-September 9, 1978)

            He was a Hebrew and Yiddish writer, born in Skvire (Skvyra), Kiev Province.  He studied in religious elementary school and yeshiva and attended to general subject matter as well.  In 1921 he emigrated to the United States and in 1933 to the land of Israel.  He was active in the Zionist labor movement.  He wrote primarily in Hebrew and published thirteen books in that language.  He was a regular contributor to Israeli newspapers.  He began publishing in Yiddish in Idishe velt (Jewish world) and from 1926 in Cleveland’s Idishe velt.  He wrote articles, stories, homiletic Hassidic tales, and essays on historical Jewish personalities in: Morgn zhurnal (Morning journal), Amerikaner (American), Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper), Farn folk (For the people), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Kalifornyer idishe shtime (Jewish voice of California), and other provincial newspapers in America.  In book form: “Hekhaluts” un zayne oyfgabn (“The pioneer” and his tasks) (Berlin, 1923), 15 pp.; Skvirer khurbn (Destruction in Skvyra) (New York, 1924); Fargangenheyt, ertsehlungen, bilder, tipen (The past, stories, images, types) (New York, 1925), 125 pp.—stories and impressions of the pogroms in Ukraine; Meshikhishe perzenlikhkeyten (Messianic personalities) (Cleveland: Natsyonaler arbayter farband, 1931), 222 pp.  His pen names include: Y. Yudishin, Yisroel Skvirski, Sh. Yoysef, Abu Ovadia, and Mikshiv.  He died in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature), vol. 2 (Merḥavya, 1967).

Ruvn Goldberg