LEON VIZENFELD (WIESENFELD)

LEON VIZENFELD (WIESENFELD) (February 7, 1885-March 1, 1971)

            He was born Rzeszów, to devout parents.  He studied in religious primary school and secular subjects with private tutors.  For the first time, in 1901 he came to the United States, worked in various trades and simultaneously devoted himself to education.  He returned to Galicia in 1906 and from there moved to Berlin.  He was back in Rzeszów between 1907 and 1914.  When the Russian army in 1914 occupied Galicia, he left for Prague where he lived until the end of WWI, later returning once again to Rzeszów where he took part in the Jewish community and cultural life.  He went back to the United States in 1920 and settled in Cleveland, and there he remained active in Jewish life until his death there.  He began his writing activities in 1906 with a correspondence piece from Berlin which appeared in Yidisher zhurnal (Jewish journal) in London.  He would later become a regular contributor to this serial publication.  He was a co-founder and editor of Gerekhtikeyt (Justice) in Rzeszów (1907-1908); of the first Yiddish newspaper in Prague, Di proger yidishe tsaytung (The Prague Jewish newspaper), with Max Brod, appearing in both Yiddish and German; and of Idisher folks tsaytung (Jewish people’s newspaper) in Rzeszów (1918-1920).  In America, he placed work in: Forverts (Forward) and Tog (Day) in New York; Brukliner idishe tsaytung (Brooklyn Jewish newspaper), of which he would become editor; Idishe velt (Jewish world) in Philadelphia; and Der idisher vekhter (The Jewish watchman) in Cleveland.  Over the years 1924-1938, he was co-editor of Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Cleveland, and later of Di idishe shtime (The Jewish voice) also in Cleveland, which later changed its name to Idisher bilder zhurnal (Jewish pictorial journal).  From 1940 he was editor of Jewish Voice Pictorial in Cleveland, which appeared on Jewish holidays.  He authored the following novels: Dem rebes tokhter (The rebbe’s daughter) and Libe un yikhes (Love and pedigree), which he published serially in Di idishe velt and in other newspaper in America and Canada, and of the theatrical plays, Tsurik tsu got (Back to God) and Libe un yikhes which were staged in the Yiddish theaters of America and Europe.  He was also the author of Tserisene neshomes (Souls torn up), four acts (Vienna, 1919), 56 pp.  He published as well in Polish and English newspapers and journals.

Source: Gershon Bader, Medina veḥakhameha (The state and its sages) (New York, 1934), pp. 86-87.

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 237.]

MOYSHE-ARN VIZEN (MOSES AARON WIESEN)

MOYSHE-ARN VIZEN (MOSES AARON WIESEN) (1878-February 18, 1953)

            He was born in Baranov, western Galicia, and grew up in neighboring Torne (Tarnov, Tarnów).  He studied in religious primary school and in a small Hassidic synagogue.  He later turned to secular subject matter, studied philosophy and philology in Switzerland, and in 1903 received his doctoral degree.  He became a resident of Vienna where, over the course of many years, he taught Hebrew in the Vienna Hebrew Pedagogium (Teachers’ Academy) and made a name for himself with his textbook Dikduk halashon haivrit (Grammar of the Hebrew language).  A polyglot, he had from his earliest years taken an interest in Jewish folklore.  He published a portion of his folklorist material in book form: Ḥokhme un kharifes, mayses, anekdotn, toyres, mesholim un khkires (Wisdom and subtlety, tales, anecdotes, laws, proverbs, and speculation) (Vienna, 1927), 151 pp.  In his preface to the collection, the author explains that he intentionally did not write down the stories in a literary style.  He thought it more appropriate “to write, adapted to the contents of the book, in a simple Yiddish, just as I heard it everywhere in my youth, particularly in religious primary school and synagogue study chamber.”  In 1938 he escaped from Nazi Vienna to Israel.  He was active in the last years of his life in a pedagogical government office of the Israeli state.  He died in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Obituary in Leshonenu laam (Jerusalem) (Nisan 1953); obituary in Hadoar (New York) (May 8, 1953); B. Ts. Tsangen, in Torne (Tarnov), remembrance volume (Tel Aviv, 1954), pp. 196, 220, 313, 328; G. Bader, Medina veḥakhameha (The state and its sages) (New York, 1934), p. 83; Dr. M. Naygreshl, in Fun noentn over (New York) 1 (1955), p. 393; Dov Sadan, Kaarat egozim o elef bediha ubediha, asufat humor beyisrael (A bowl of nuts or one thousand and one jokes, an anthology of humor in Israel) (Tel Aviv, 1953), see index; Dov Sadan, ed., Kaarat tsimukim o elef bediha ubediha, asufat humor beyisrael (A bowl of raisins or one thousand and one jokes, an anthology of humor in Israel) (Tel Aviv, 1952), see index.

ELIE WEISEL (WIESEL, LEYZER VIZEL)

ELIE WEISEL (WIESEL, LEYZER VIZEL) (September 30, 1928-July 2, 2016)

            He was born in Sighetu Marmației, Transylvania, into a Hassidic merchant household.  He studied in religious elementary school, yeshiva, and later philosophy, psychology, and literature at the Sorbonne in Paris.  Until March 1944 he lived in his hometown, and thereafter he was deported by the Nazis, together with all the other remaining Jews from the city of his birth, to various concentration camps.  He was liberated in April 1945.  He debuted in print with the story “A bagegenish” (An encounter) in Tsien un kamf (Zion in struggle) in Paris (1947).  He also published in this same journal articles on political issues.  From that point forward, he contributed stories, journalistic impressions, and reportage pieces to: Unzer vort (Our word), Der veg (The way), and Teater-shpigl (Theater mirror) in Paris; Forverts (Forward), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), and Der amerikaner (The American) in New York; in the last of these he also published his novel Shtile heldn (Quiet heroes) serially.  From 1950 he was a wandering correspondent for the Israeli evening newspaper Yediot aḥaronot (Latest news) in Tel Aviv, for which he traveled to Morocco, Tunis, Algiers, Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, India, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and elsewhere.  From 1956 he was living in New York.  He was chief of foreign correspondents for Yediot aḥaronot and an internal contributor to Forverts (Forward) in New York.  His books include: Un di velt hot geshvign (And the world was silent) (Buenos Aires, 1956), 253 pp., a description of the experiences of a Jewish boy under the Nazis.  This book was praised by the critics as one of the most important and most direct works of Jewish Holocaust literature.  He prepared the same work in his own adaptation in French, entitled La Nuit (The night), with a foreword by François Mauriac who dedicated his recent work, Le fils de l’homme (The son of man), to Wiesel.  Yehude Elberg translated his novel Aube (Dawn) into Yiddish as Fartog (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1973), 104 pp.  Wiesel also wrote for Algemeyne zhurnal (General journal) in New York.[1]  He died in New York.

   

Sources: Y. Botoshanski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (March 14, 1956); M. Shenderay, in Yidishe tsaytung (Buenos Aires) (April 7, 1956); D. Naymark, in Forverts (New York) (July 17, 1956); A. Nahur, in Yediot aḥaronot (Tel Aviv) (December 22, 1956); A. Mukdoni, in Tog-morgn zhurnal (New York) (January 13, 1957); E. Shulman, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (September 7-8, 1957); Rokhl Herman, in Unzer shtime (August 30-31, 1958); A. Vayzil, in Forverts (February 7 and February 28, 1960).

Khayim Leyb Fuks

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 237.

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[1] Needless to say, Wiesel has written and contributed considerably more since this entry appeared.  He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986. (JAF)

MOYSHE-DOVID VIDREVITSH

MOYSHE-DOVID VIDREVITSH (January 18, 1867-January 1941)

            He was born in Vitebsk, Byelorussia, into a family of wealthy merchants.  He worked for thirty years as a Hebrew teacher in Warsaw.  During WWI he was a teacher in Jewish public schools in Ripin and Prushkov (Pruszków).  He wrote feature pieces, poetry, articles, and humorous sketches for: Hamelits (The advocate), Yudishes folksblat (Jewish people’s newspaper), and Hayom (Today) in St. Petersburg; and in the Warsaw dailies, Der veg (The way) and Unzer lebn (Our life).  By himself he published the humorous holidays sheets, Kol bo (Department store), and also several one-act plays, including: Itshe-meyer tsu di valen (Itshe-Meyer goes to the elections), a scene of the elections to the state Duma in Warsaw (Warsaw, 1906), 15 pp.; Di yudishe gmine (The Jewish community) (Warsaw, 1908), 16 pp.; and Der shoymer (The guard) (Warsaw, 1925), 23 pp., which was performed on stage.  In addition, he published: Gezukht un nisht gefunen, 1900-1928 (Sought and not found, 1900-1928) (Warsaw, 1929), 181 pp.; Di eybike shtim fun di neviim, geklibene sotsyale fragment fun yeshaye, yirmyahu, amos, ovadye un tilim (The eternal voice of the prophets, selected social fragments from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, and Psalms) (Warsaw, 1939).  He died in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Z. Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 1; B. Mark, Umgekumene shrayber fun di getos un lagern (Murdered writers from the ghettos and camps) (Warsaw, 1954).

KHANE (ANNE) VIDERMAN

KHANE (ANNE) VIDERMAN (b. June 20, 1899)

She was born in the town of Ushitse (Ushytsya), Podolia district, Ukraine, into a well-to-do family.  During the civil war she escaped into Russia.  In 1924 she settled in Canada.  She debuted in print with a story entitled “Der eynzamer kinstler” (The lonely artist) in Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal, where she became a regular contributor.  She penned stories, humorous sketches, monologues, and feature pieces.  In book form: Umetiker sheykhl (Ubiquitous smile) (Montreal, 1946), 208 pp.; Alte heym un kinder yorn, derinerungen, monologn, humoreskes, dertseylungen (The old country and childhood years, experiences, monologues, humorous sketches, stories) (Montreal, 1960), 144 pp.

Sources: Y. Y. Sigal, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (March 5, 1947); Ida Maze, in Keneder odler (May 29, 1947); Kh. Viderman, “Ot azoy bin ikh gevorn a shrayberin” (That’s how I became a writer), Kender odler (April 27, 1959).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 236-37.]

DANIEL and ÉMILE VIDANS (WIDAN)

DANIEL and ÉMILE VIDANS (WIDAN) (b. 1907 and 1910, respectively)[1]

            They were born in Khveydan (Kvėdarna), Lithuania, the one and only case in modern Yiddish literature in which two brothers wrote their books together.  Their father was a rabbi.  At the time of their expulsion from Lithuania in 1915, they wandered with their parents to Russia.  In 1922 they returned to Lithuania.  Daniel studied in the art schools of Kovno and Paris.  He was a painter and sculptor.  Émile graduated from the law faculty at the University of Paris.  They survived the Nazi occupation of Paris in hiding.  They lived for several years in New York and spent 1956-1963 in Montreal.  Their books: Groyzame yorn (Savage years) (Warsaw: Kultur-lige, 1933), 256 pp.; A shtot in der lite, roman (A city in Lithuania, a novel) (New York, 1950), 221 pp.; Yerusholaim, historisher roman (Jerusalem, a historical novel) (New York, 1953), 242 pp.  Shimen Dubnov wrote that “Groyzame yorn was an unforgettable work, full of images that engrave themselves into one’s memory.”

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 236.

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[1] According to Kh. L. Fuks, Hundert yor yidishe un hebreishe literatur in kanade (A century of Yiddish and Hebrew literature in Canada) (Montreal, 1980), p. 104, Daniel’s family name (and perforce Émile) was Khveydanas.  We assume that the name derives from tiny town in Lithuania from which the Vidans brothers came.

SHMUEL-HELMAN VIGDERSON

SHMUEL-HELMAN VIGDERSON (b. January 4, 1882)

            He was born in Mitave (Mitava), Courland, into a poor family.  He studied in religious elementary school with his grandfather, a teacher and a scribe.  He moved to the United States in 1890, and until age thirteen he studied in religious primary school and in public school, later becoming a worker in a tailor shop.  In those years he joined the socialist movement and was active as a socialist in New York, Boston, and other places.  He took part in the founding of Forverts (Forward).  In 1908 he was the travel agent for Tsukunft (Future) and other socialist publications.  In 1912 he settled in Boston where he assumed an active role in the local Jewish labor movement.  In 1904 he published (under the pen name “Kuntres”) a series of articles in Tsukunft in New York, entitled “Bleter tsu der geshikhte fun der yidisher sotsyalistisher bavegung” (Pages on the history of the Jewish socialist movement).  From that point on, he published articles and memoirs on the history of the Jewish labor movement in America in: Tsukunft, Forverts, Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor) since 1907, and Dos naye vort (The new word) (1917-1921) of which he was chief writer of the editorial articles, Der idisher arbayter (The Jewish worker) (1922-1926), and Unzer tsayt (Our time).  He also published under such pseudonyms as “A Trevler.”  He was living in Dorchester, a suburb of Boston.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO), vol. 1 (Warsaw, 1928), p. 82; Y. Sh. Herts, Di yidishe sotsyalistishe bavegung in amerike (The Jewish socialist movement in America) (New York, 1954), pp. 193, 320; A. Stolar, 15 yor unzer tsayt (Fifteen years of Unzer tsayt) (New York, 1955), p. 31.

Khayim Leyb Fuks