MENAKHEM-NOKHUM LITINSKI

MENAKHEM-NOKHUM LITINSKI (September 29, 1852-ca. 1900)

            He was born in Vinitse (Vinnytsa), Podolia.  He studied with the rabbi in the city, R. Yoysef-Yoske Linetski (Yitskhok-Yoyel Linetski’s father).  In his youth he already demonstrated a special inclination for Jewish history.  From age fourteen he was writing essays for: Hamelits (The advocate), Hamagid (The preacher), Hatsfira (The siren), Haivri (The Jew), Haḥavatselet (The daffodil), and Hakol (The voice).  In 1874 he was invited to Bucharest as a contributor to the Yiddish newspaper Hayoets (The advisor), published by his father-in-law.  In 1877 he published in Jassy (Iași) a periodical entitled Shabes oybs (Sabbath fruit), with a supplement in Hebrew entitled Hahelekh (The wayfarer).  In separate publications, he authored: Yiftaḥ (Yiftaḥ), a theatrical tragedy in six acts; Shire mn”l (The poetry of Menaḥem-Naḥum Linitski) and Yalkut mn”l (Compilation of Menaḥem-Naḥum Linitski), commentaries on the weekly portions of the Torah; Gibore yisrael (Heroes of Israel), historical tales from Jewish antiquity (Odessa, 1883), 24 pp.  In Yiddish he published: Der tants tsum toyt (The dance of death); Di betribte kale (The sad bride); Di geheymnise fun vinitsa (The secrets of Vinnytsa); Der batlen (The idle man); Di hagode (The Passover prayer book); Dos rusishe kind (The Russian child); Kuki riki, oder yudishe fayer-tage: satirishe, humoristishe, moralishe un kritishe folks lider (Satirical poems, or Jewish fire days: satirical, humorous, moralistic, and critical folk poetry) (Odessa, 1883), 32 pp.  He also wrote about the history of the Jews in Podolia for Sholem-Aleykhem’s Yudishe folks-biblyotek (Jewish people’s library), vol. 1, and for Spektor’s Hoyzfraynd (House friend) 3; this work appeared in Hebrew under the title Korot podoliya vekadmoniyot hayehudim sham (History of Podolia and the Jewish antiquities there) (Odessa, 1885), 68 pp.; he published in verse: Der falsher meshiekh (The false messiah) (1875).  He left in manuscript a series of stories in Hebrew and in Yiddish, historical treatments entitled “Seder hadorot” (Order of the generations); and Hamadrikh (The instructor), a teaching method for Hebrew, Russian, and German.  He died in Mohilev (Mogilev).

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2.

Benyomen Elis