Ephraim E. Lisitzky
Born(1885-01-31)31 January 1885
Minsk, Minsk Governorate, Russian Empire
Died25 June 1962(1962-06-25) (aged 77)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
LanguageHebrew
SpouseBertha Shefrin

Ephraim Eliyahu Lisitzky (Hebrew: אפרים אליהו ליסיצקי; 31 January 1885 – 25 June 1962) was an American Hebrew poet, writer, and educator.

Biography

Born in Minsk in 1885, Lisitzky spent his childhood in Slutzk before moving to Boston with his father in 1900.[1] He spent a brief time studying at the Rabbi Yitzḥak Elḥanan Yeshiva, and received a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Marquette University.[2] He afterward spent years teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies in various locations in the United States and Canada.[3] In 1918, he was appointed head of the Communal Hebrew School in New Orleans, where he remained until his retirement.[4]

Lisitzky was a member of the Zionist Organization of America and the Histradut Ivrit.[5] Still, despite his early plans to emigrate to Israel, Lisitzky only visited there twice and remained ambivalent about the prospect throughout his life.[6]

He died in New Orleans in 1962 after a long illness.[7]

Work

Lisitzky is credited with making significant contributions to the representation of marginalized groups in Hebrew literature.[6] He is perhaps best known for his epic poem Medurot do'akhot ('Dying Campfires', 1937), written in unrhymed trochaic tetrameter,[8] which is based on Native American legends.[4] His collection of poems Be'oholey Kush ('In the Tents of Cush', 1953) draws inspiration from African-American folktales and spirituals.[9]

In addition to his poetry, Lisitzky also wrote a number of articles on literature and educational matters in the Hebrew press, which were collected in his book, Bi-shevilei ḥayyim ve-sifrut ('In the Paths of Life and Literature', 1961). He is also the only American Hebrew poet to have written an autobiography, which was published under the title Eleh toldot Adam ('These Are the Generations of Adam', 1959).[2]

Honours

He was awarded honorary doctorates from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1949 and the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1960 for his literary achievements.[6]

Selected bibliography

References

Archives at
LocationAmerican Jewish Archives, Cincinnati
SourceEphraim E. Lisitzky papers, 1948–1961
How to use archival material
  1. ^ Rubin, Steven Joel (1991). Writing Our Lives: Autobiographies of American Jews, 1890–1990. Jewish Publication Society. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-8276-0393-6.
  2. ^ a b Mintz, Alan (2011). Sanctuary in the Wilderness: A Critical Introduction to American Hebrew Poetry. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. doi:10.11126/stanford/9780804762939.003.0005. ISBN 978-0-8047-6293-9.
  3. ^ Silberschlag, Eisig (2007). "Lisitzky, Ephraim E.". In Berenbaum, Michael; Skolnik, Fred (eds.). Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 13 (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference. p. 81.
  4. ^ a b Katz, Stephen (2002). "To Be As Others: E. E. Lisitzky's Re-presentation of Native Americans". Hebrew Union College Annual. 73: 249–297. JSTOR 23509014.
  5. ^ "Obituary". The American Jewish World. Vol. 50, no. 45. Minneapolis and St. Paul. 6 July 1962. p. 13.
  6. ^ a b c Katz, Stephen (2009). Red, Black, and Jew: New Frontiers in Hebrew Literature. Austin: University of Texas. ISBN 978-0-292-79926-4.
  7. ^ "E. E. Lisitzky, 77, a Hebrew Poet; Author, Also Translator and Educator, Is Dead". The New York Times. 27 June 1962. p. 35.
  8. ^ Marcus, Jacob Rader (2018). United States Jewry, 1776–1985. Vol. 4. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-4505-4.
  9. ^ Mintz, Alan (2003). "Hebrew literature in America". In Wirth-Nesher, Hana; Kramer, Michael P. (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Jewish American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-521-79699-6.
Categories