MOYSHE SHENDERAY

MOYSHE SHENDERAY (May 6, 1891-January 1970)

            He was a journalist and writer on history, born in Dobryansk (Dobryans’ke), Kherson Province.  He studied both Jewish and general subjects.  In 1912 he made his way with his parents to Mozesville, Argentina.  In 1917 he moved to Buenos Aires, in 1921 to Rosario, and from 1933 he was back again in Buenos Aires.  He studied medicine and humanistic subject matter.  He worked as a teacher and lecturer and took up positions in the highest institutions of Jewish learning in Argentina.  He was very active in the Jewish community, among the spokesmen for the Jewish Argentinian settlement.  He began writing in his middle years.  In 1917 he published and edited Rozaryer lebn (Rosario life).  His main writing activity began with his becoming a regular contributor to Idishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper) in Buenos Aires (until 1965).  He wrote on a variety of topics: politics, local Jewish matters, national issues, memoirs, and books.

            In book form: Yidish geshikhte in lektsyes (Jewish history in lectures) (Buenos Aires, 1951), 2 vols.; Di geshikhte fun dem yidishn yishev in tshile (The history of the Jewish settlement in Chile) (Santiago: Dos idishe vort, 1956), 357 pp.; Der lebnsveg fun b. dobryanski (The way in life of B. Dobryanski) (Buenos Aires: Kiem, 1962), 429 pp., an autobiography in fictional form; Mozesvil, di ershte yidishe kolonye in argentine tsu di 75 yor zint ir grindung 1889-1964 (Mozesville, the first Jewish colony in Argentina on the seventy-five years since its founding, 1889-1964), with Avrom Gabis (Buenos Aires, 1964), 85 pp.  He translated: Nokhum Sokolov, Perzenlekhkeytn (Personalities [original: Ishim]) (Buenos Aires: Central Association of Polish Jews in Argentina, 1948), 254 pp.; Leon Roth, Der yidisher gedank vi a faktor fun tsivilzatsye (Jewish Thought as a Factor in Civilization) (London-Buenos Aires, 1956), 87 pp.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: Davke (Buenos Aires) 11-12 (1952); Shloyme Bikl, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (September 26, 1962); Yitskhok Yanasovitsh, in Di naye tsayt (Buenos Aires) (March 1, 1963); L. Zhitnitski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (October 10, 1964); Falik Lerner, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (February 21, 1970); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (NewYork).

Yoysef Horn