ARN TENENBOYM

ARN TENENBOYM (1815-1901)

            He was born in Warsaw, Poland.  He became a follower of the Jewish Enlightenment movement, but remained a devout Jew.  He was active in Jewish and Polish community life in Warsaw.  For a time he administered the Jewish oath in Warsaw courtrooms.  He was secretary, 1865-1866, of the Warsaw circle of the Mekitse Nirdamim Society which assisted in publishing rare scholarly texts and important historical works.  He also served as the Warsaw agent of Hamagid (The preacher).  A man with an interesting personality, he was for a time a good friend of the Polish writer Bolesław Prus who immortalized him in his poem Lalka (Doll) as “Szlangbaum.”  Tenenboym was in charge of a column entitled “Fersheydenes” (Various and sundry) in Varshoyer yudishe tsaytung (Warsaw Jewish newspaper) in 1867, and he published anecdotes, literary riddles, rebuses, conundrums, and chess problems there.  He also contributed to: Hamagid and Epelberg’s Varshoyer yudisher kalendar (Warsaw Jewish calendar) (1888-1889), among other serials.  He was as well as regular contributor to the Polish-language, daily newspaper Kuryer Warszawski (Warsaw courier) over the years 1868-1888.  In the Hebrew press, aside from puzzles and fables, he published current events articles.  For Hamagid he wrote two essays on hygiene among Jews.  He died in Warsaw.

Sources: Sh. L. Tsitron, Geshikhte fun der yidisher prese (History of the Yiddish press), vol. 1 (Vilna, 1923), p. 82; Dr. Y. Shatski, in Yivo bleter (New York) 20.1 (September-October 1942), pp. 127-28; Shatski, Geshikhte fun yidn in varshe (History of Jews in Warsaw), vol. 3 (New York, 1954), see index.

Khayim Leyb Fuks