BERISH (DOV) OYERBAKH (AUERBACH)

BERISH (DOV) OYERBAKH (AUERBACH) (1888-Summer 1941)

Born in a small town in Plotsk (Płock) district, Poland.  He studied in religious schools, and later became a university candidate in Warsaw.  He began writing in Hebrew in Hatsfira (The siren), later in Haivri (The Jew) and Hashiloach (The shiloah).  In 1909 he arrived in Lodz where he switched to using Yiddish.  He became a member of the household of Yitzkhok Katsenelson.  He began publishing stories in Lodzher tageblat (Lodz daily), which were a mixture of fiction and human interest stories.  He published stories and sketches in Veg (Way), Der fraynd (The friend), Haynt (Today), Der shtral (The ray), Yidishes vokhenblat (Jewish weekly), Moment (Moment), Eyropeyishe literatur (European literature), and in such Lodz literary publications as Literatur (Literature, 1916), Heftn (Notebooks, 1918), and Yidisher zhurnalism (Jewish journalism).  He also worked in the field of Jewish legends.  He returned to Warsaw in 1922 and became an internal contributor to Haynt.  His books include: Kinder-derteylungen (Children’s stories); Mirten, dos ferblondzete khavele (Myrtles, the misguided Eve) (Warsaw, 1920), 8 pp.; Mayselekh fun amol, di yudishe geshikhte un legendes (Stories from the past, Jewish history and legends) (Warsaw, 1920).  In Hebrew: Hadasim, sefarim veagadot leyeladim velivnei haneurim (Myrtle, books, and legends for children and youngsters) (Warsaw), and a booklet of poems entitled Yom kipur (Yom Kippur) (Warsaw, 1936) (a number of its pages were not printed).  He died of hunger in the Warsaw ghetto in the summer of 1941.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Jubilee issue of Haynt (1908-1928), p. 20; Tsiporah Katsenelson-Nakhimov, Yitskhok Katsenelson (Buenos Aires, 1948); B. Mark, Umgekumene shrayber fur di getos in lagern (Murdered writers from the ghettos and camps) (Warsaw, 1954); B. Kuczer, Geven amol Varshe (As Warsaw once was) (Paris, 1954), pp. 69-70.