MOYSHE LAKS (LAX)

MOYSHE LAKS (LAX) (1887-November 22, 1979)

            He was born in Frumoshika (Frumuşica), Romania.  Until WWI he was active in the Jewish secular school in Hârlău, Moldavia, and later he lived in Jassy (Iași) and Bucharest.  He organized Jewish libraries and traveled about giving talks about Yiddish literature.  Using the name “A yid” (a Jew), he contributed work to the socialist biweekly Der veker (The alarm) in Jassy (1915-1916).  He also contributed to Unzer veg (Our way) and Di vokh (The week), among others serials in Bucharest (1926-1943).  He survived the years of WWII in Bucharest, where he lived out his life.  He was active in IKUF (Jewish Cultural Association) in Romania.  He wrote for Ikuf-bleter (Pages from IKUF) in Bucharest (1946-1952).  In book form: Yankev psantir, der ershter khroniker fun di rumenishe yiden (Jacob Psantir, the first chronicler of Romanian Jewry) (Bucharest, 1946), 36 pp.; Literarishe figurn (Literary figures) (Bucharest: Farlag far literatur, 1969), 190 pp.; Memuaristishe feder-shpritsn (Pen spurts of memoirs) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1973), 162 pp.  He died in Bucharest.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2; information from Dr. Shloyme Bikl in New York.

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 321.]