B. KRESIN

B. KRESIN

            He was the author of Der berihmter zhargohn loshn koydesh russisher brief korespondenter un zhargohn russishe khristomatye, tsu zammen mit di tsvey zelṭene brief fun berditshever tsirk un viener theater, in ziben theyl (The eminent Yiddish-Hebrew-Russian letter correspondent, and Yiddish-Russian reader, together with two rare letters from the Berdichev circus and Viennese theater, in seven parts) (Berdichev: Yoysef Berman, 1903).  In N. Polyak-Gilman’s Der nayer obraztsover briefenshteller, hebreish-russish-zhargon-daytsh, mit vikhtige brief fun mandzhuryen un yapan (The new model letter-writer, Hebrew-Russian-Yiddish-German, with important letters from Manchuria and Japan) (Berdichev: Yoysef Berman, 1904), there is a piece entitled “Eynige perevodin fun b. kresin” (Some translations by B. Kresin).

Berl Cohen

SHMUEL KREMER

SHMUEL KREMER (b. May 1, 1888)

            He was a Yiddish and English journalist, born in Odessa.  He came to the United States in his youth.  He studied in religious elementary school, public school, middle school, and in the Journalism School at New York University.  He was active in the Jewish labor movement.  From 1909 with breaks, he worked as a reporter, article writer, and news editor of Forverts (Forward).  He also published in: Fortshrit (Progress), Naye tsayt (New times), Veker (Alarm), and Minikes yontef bleter (Minike’s holiday sheets).  He edited the English-Yiddish Der nekver arbayter (The neckwear worker), organ of the necktie makers.  He authored the pamphlet: Der amerikaner sitizen (The American citizen) (New York: Naturalization Aid League, 1921), 23 pp.  Among his pen names: Mortkhe Liberman, Ben Estar, Joshua Lendon, and A. Isaacson.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Y. Sh. Herts, Di yidishe sotsyalistishe bavegung in amerike, 70 yor sotsyalistishe tetikeyt, 30 yor yidishe sotsyalistishe farband (The Jewish socialist movement in America, seventy years of socialist activity, thirty years of the Jewish Socialist Union) (New York, 1954), p. 150; Arbeter-ring boyer un tuer (Builders and leaders of the Workmen’s Circle), ed. Y. Yeshurin and Y. Sh. Herts (New York, 1962).

Yekhezkl Lifshits

RIVKE (REBECA) KREMER

RIVKE (REBECA) KREMER (d. June 30, 1978)

            She published: Aforizmen un glaykhvertlekh (Aphorisms and witticisms) (Buenos Aires: Y. Koyfman, 1948), 93 pp.; In shigl fun lebn, aforizmen, glaykhvertlekh, dertseylungen un a drame in dray aktn (In the mirror of life, aphorisms, witticisms, stories, and a drama in three acts)—the play is titled In kamf kegn eygenem glik (Struggling against one’s own happiness)—(Buenos Aires, 1955), 112 pp.  She died in Buenos Aires.

Yoysef Horn

ROZE (ROSA) KREMER

ROZE (ROSA) KREMER (b. 1905)

            She was born in Warsaw, and in 1930 she made her way to Brazil.  She lived in São Paolo, later in São José dos Campos.  She began publishing in 1953.  She wrote stories and poems for: Unzer shtime (Our voice) and Der nayer moment (The new moment) in São Paolo; Di prese (The press) and Ilustrirte literarishe bleter (Illustrated literary leaves) in Buenos Aires; and Haynt (Today) in Montevideo; among other serials.  In book form: Labirintn (Labyrinths), unseen; Kontrastn, brazilyaner motivn (Contrasts, Brazilian motifs) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1977), 191 pp.

Berl Cohen

LOUIS KREMER (KRAMER)

LOUIS KREMER (KRAMER) (September 22, 1872-May 9, 1964)

            He was a playwright, born in Grodno.  He moved with his parents to the United States in 1888.  Until 1902 he was active in the Jewish labor movement and later a professional actor and theater director in New York.  At age fourteen he wrote a play entitled Dem arbeters sod (The worker’s secret).  He wrote numerous sketches for the Yiddish theater, all of which were staged: Der tsienist (The Zionist), Fremde mames (Strange mothers), Di farshpetigte khupe (The belated wedding canopy), Dos umgliklekhe maydl (The unhappy girl), Sore koten (Sarah Koten), Mendl beylis, oder aliles-dam (Mendel Beilis, or a blood libel) which was written with Leyb Kaner, Di gedemedzhte familye (The damaged family), Shtrof far zind (Punishment for sin), Farshemt a tate (A father disgraced), Der griner khosn (The green bridegroom), Dem farmers tokhter (The farmer’s daughter), and Zindike mener (Sinful people), among others.  Among Kremer’s best-known plays is the comedy Shnayders shpiln teater (Tailors act in theater).  He published memoirs of the Yiddish theater in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal) (1961-1962) in New York and Penemer un penemlekh (Appearances, big and small) in Buenos Aires.  He died in New York.

Source: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 6 (Mexico City, 1969).

Yekhezkl Lifshits

KHAYIM-YANKEV KREMER

KHAYIM-YANKEV KREMER (b. 1852)[1]

            He was born in Minsk (perhaps Vilna).  He was ordained into the rabbinate.  Over the years 1872-1880, he served a gabbai and administrator of a Talmud Torah in Oshmene (Oshmiany).  In 1882 he opened a “Bet-sefer letora veleteuda” (School for Torah and customs) in Bialystok, and he later directed a “cheder metukan” (improved religious elementary school) in Lodz.  Aside from his religious writings in Hebrew, he wrote books in Yiddish: Khates hakool, oder di sheyne drezele (Sins of the community, or the beautiful girlfriend), “a magnificent, extremely moving novel, in two parts, by A. Y. Safir, a man of Minsk” (Vilna: Rozenkrants un Shriftzetser, 1881), 103 pp. and 133 pp., with a preface and a poem in Hebrew, republished several times thereafter, such as in 1888, 1891, and 1910; Der kleyner katerznik oder der flasher yoysher (The little convict or false justice), “a splendid and extraordinary novel” (Vilna: Avrom-Tsvi Shvintsyaner, 1883, 1888, 1895), 48 pp.; Di idishe tragedye (The Jewish tragedy) (Lodz, 1891), 48 pp., new edition (Warsaw: Haor, 1907), 90 pp.—a drama with a Zionist bent.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2 (under A. Y. Sapir/Safir); N. Sokolov, ed., Sefer zikaron (Remembrance volume) (Warsaw, 1888/1889), p. 102; A. Levinson, Ketavim (Writings) (Tel Aviv, 1955/1956), pp. 153-55; Khayim Leyb Fuks, Lodzh shel mayle, dos yidishe gaystiḳe un derhoybene lodzh, 100 yor yidishe un oykh hebreishe literatur un kultur in lodzh un in di arumiḳe shtet un shtetlekh (Lodz on high, the Jewish spiritual and elevated Lodz, 100 years of Yiddish and also Hebrew literature and culture in Lodz and in the surrounding cities and towns) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1972), p. 260; Getzel Kressel, in Hatsofe (Tel Aviv) (May 26, 1974).

Berl Cohen

---

[1] Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3, has him under the name “A. Y. Safir,” which was his pen name.  The same error may be found in an entry herein under “A. Y. Sapir.”  Here we shall offer the correct name in the proper place with more details and bibliography.

BENYOMEN KREMER

BENYOMEN KREMER (August 1887-1939)

            He was born in Vabolnik (Vabalninkas), Lithuania, and raised in a religious home.  He studied in yeshivas in Ponevezh (Panevėžys) and Vilna.  In 1907 he moved to Warsaw.  For many years he worked as a Hebrew teacher in M. Krinski’s high school.  He contributed correspondence pieces, stories, and articles to: Haynt (Today) (where he was a proofreader from 1907), Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper), Eyn tog (One day), Shtern (Star), Folksshtime (Voice of the people), Idishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), Vokhenblat (Weekly newspaper), Eyropeishe literatur (European literature), Roman-tsaytung (Fiction newspaper), Naye himlen (New skies), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), Lemberger togblat (Lemberg daily newspaper), Vilna’s Tsayt (Times), and Folk un land (People and country), among other serials.  He edited the anthology Fayerlakh (Fires) (Warsaw, 1912/1913).  In Hebrew he brought out a small collection of legends: Ḥizayon ve-dimyon, agadot (Revelation and fantasy, legends) (Warsaw, 1921), 27 pp.  His pen names included: B. Feygenzon, B. Remerk, K. R. Emer, B. Abramson, Igrek, and Beys-Kuf.  He translated Émile Zola’s Di kinstler-velt (The world of the artist).  He was murdered by the Nazis in Warsaw.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Idishe shtime (Kovno) 6268 (1939); B. Shefner, Novolipye 7, zikhroynes un eseyen (Nowolipie 7, memoirs and essays) (Buenos Aires, 1955), p. 46; Ber Kutsher, Geven amol varshe (As Warsaw once was), memoirs (Paris, 1955), see index.

Berl Cohen

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 493.]