SHIMEN-DOVID ZINGER

SHIMEN-DOVID ZINGER (June 25, 1903-November 20, 1973)

            He was born in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, near Lodz, Poland, into a Hassidic family.  He was raised by his grandfather, an Aleksandrov Hassid, and he studied in religious elementary school and synagogue study hall.  In 1920 he joined his father in the United States.  He studied for a time at the University of Pittsburgh.  He worked for many years as a teacher of Yiddish.  He debuted in print in 1925 with poems in the Paterson (New Jersey) literary journal Zeglen (Sails)—four issues appeared—that he brought out with Moyshe Frid, A. Shlamovitsh, and Dovid Fefer.  He later contributed poetry and stories to Di feder (The pen), Oyfkum (Arise), and other serials in New York.  He later turned to become a literary critic.  His first essay about Moyshe Broderzon appeared in Di feder (New York, 1925), and from that point on he published articles and essays on literature and theater in: Fraye arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), Tsukunft (Future), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Brikn (Bridges), Oykum, Kultur un dertsiung (Culture and education), Forverts (Forward), Der tog (The day), Unzer tsayt (Our time), Zayn (To be), and Unzer veg (Our way)—all in New York; Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper), and Foroys (Onward) in Warsaw; Kultur (Culture) in Chicago; Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal; Idisher zhurnal (Jewish journal) in Toronto; Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia; Foroys in Mexico City; and Dos vort (The word) in Buenos Aires; among others.  From 1957 he served as literary editor of the monthly journal Unzer veg, in which he regularly published work on Yiddish literature.  In book form: Dikhter un prozaiker, eseyen vegn shrayber un bikher (Poets and prose writers, essays on writers and books) (New York: Educational Dept. of Workmen’s Circle, 1959), 336 pp.  He also edited the anthology Tshenstokhov (Częstochowa) (New York: United Częstochowa Relief Committee, 1958), 336 pp.  He was living in New York, where he died, and working as a teacher at the Workmen’s Circle.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928); H. Akerman, in Refleksn (New York) (April 1932); Y. Y. Sigal, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (July 6, 1945); Shmuel Niger, in Tog (New York) (November 12, 1952); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Tsukunft (New York) (March-April 1955); Der Lebediker, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 5, 1956); Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Fun noentn over (NewYork) 3 (1957), p. 258; Kh. Pat, in Kultur un dertsiung (New York) (February 1958); Y. Varshavski, in Forverts (New York) (May 24, 1959); P. Shteynvaks, in Keneder odler (August 3, 1959); Y. Zilberberg, in Der fraynd (New York) (September-October 1959); Meylekh Ravitsh, in Tsukunft (October 1959); Sh. A., in Omer (Tel Aviv) (Ḥeshvan 18 [= November 19], 1959); Y. Navon, in Omer (November 20, 1959); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (April 3, 1960).