SHLOYME (SOLOMON, SHELOMO) GRODZENSKI

SHLOYME (SOLOMON, SHELOMO) GRODZENSKI (November 28, 1904-February 8, 1972)

            He was a journalist and literary essayist, born in Grodno.  He attended a “cheder metukan” (improved religious elementary school).  In 1916 he emigrated to the United States, where he was initially a factory worker.  In 1951 he made aliya to Israel.  He was a leading figure in the Zionist workers’ movement.  He edited: Yoysef khayim brener, fun zayn lebn un shafn, zambukh zum tsvantsikstn yortsayt (Yosef Haim Brener, his life and work, collection on the twentieth anniversary of his death) (New York, 1941), 376 pp.; Khayim arlozorov bukh (Haim Arlozorov volume) (Detroit, 1944), 320 pp.  Over the years 1932-1951, he co-edited Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter) in New York.  He edited the daily newspaper Hador (The generation) in Tel Aviv, and from 1958 he served on the editorial board of Davar (Word) in Tel Aviv.  He was editor of the monthly serial Amot (Foundations) in Tel Aviv of the “American Jewish Committee.”  As Khayim Guri noted, Grodzenski “published no books, but if one were to compile all of his writings,…Shloyme Grodzenski’s output would be comparable to one of the important writers and critics of Israel and our literature.”  After his death, there appeared: Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1973), 412 pp.; Shelomo grodzenski, devarim al shelema (Shelomo Grodzenski, his writings complete) (1972), 88 pp.; Otobyografiya shel kore, masot ureshimot al sifrut (Autobiography of a reader, essays and articles on literature) (Tel Aviv, 1975), 437 pp.  He died in Herzliya, Israel.

Sources: Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature) (Merḥavya, 1967), vol. 2; Sh. Bikl, Shrayber fun mayn dor (Writers of my generation), vol. 2 (Tel Aviv, 1965), pp. 280-83; Sh. Halkin, in Bitsaron (New York) (Shevat-Adar [mid-January-mid-March] 1972); Kh. Lif, in Bitsaron (Shevat-Adar 1972); Kh. Guri, in Davar (Tel Aviv) (Adar 3 [= February 18], 1972); Sh. Shveytser, in Folksblat (Tel Aviv) (February 1972); M. Magid, in Davar (February 11, 1972); Y. Yonas, in Di shtime (Mexico City) (March 18, 1972); Kh. Ayalti, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (March 24, 1972); Dov Sadan, in Hadoar (New York) (February 15, 1974); Y. Fridlender, in Letste nayes (Tel Aviv) (March 8, 1974)

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 168.