MOYSHE SHTEYNGART

MOYSHE SHTEYNGART (May 10, 1912-1995)

            He was a poet, born in Sokolov-Podolsk (Sokołów Podlaski), Poland.  He attended religious elementary school and yeshiva.  In 1927 he emigrated to the United States.  He studied in English-language public school, middle school, and several semesters at New York University.  In 1933 he debuted in print in the literary journal Tsuzamen (Together) in New York.  He went on to contribute poems to: Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves) in Warsaw; Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Tsukunft (Future), Epokhe (Epoch), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Inzikh (Introspective), Getseltn (Tents), and Zayn (To be)—in New York; and Idishe velt (Jewish world) in Philadelphia.  His work also appeared in: Moyshe Shtarkman’s Hamshekh antologye (Hamshekh anthology) (New York: Hamshekh, 1945); and Avraham Tsvi Halevy, Mehashira haidit baamerika (From the Yiddish poetry in America) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1967).  His writings include: Aleyn (Alone), poetry (Toronto: Tint un feder, 1950), 76 pp.; In droysn fun der velt (Outside the world) (New York: Brider Shulzinger, 1978), 144 pp.  In 1978 he received a literary prize from the Book Council of the Jewish National Welfare Board in New York.

            “Moyshe Shteyngart’s poems,” noted Nokhem-Borekh Minkov, “are rich in imagery and mood.  They are tame, clear, well considered, and profoundly feeling.”

            “Shteyngart…belongs mostly,” wrote Meylekh Ravitsh, “to the [unintelligible] sort of poet.  However, we are drawn to eight of [his] blank poems….  [His book] is actually called Aleyn, and the tone of the poems is being alone and being lonely, but when one comes to the world with a book of poems [entitled] Aleyn, it’s a sign that one wants to come out being ‘alone’.”

Sources: Meylekh Ravitsh, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (November 12, 1951); Nokhum-Borekh Minkov, in Fraye arbeter shtime (New York) (August 1, 1952); Yirmye Hesheles, in Vayter (New York) (March 1957); Y. Kohn, Baym rand fun onhoyb (At the edge of the beginning) (New York, 1960), pp. 130-33; A. Pat, Likht un shtern (Light and star) (New York, 1967), pp. 108-13.

Berl Cohen