Froim Oierbah
Israel- Early Life and Education
- Literary Debut and Exile
- Immigration to America
- Poetic Career
- Literary Criticism and Memoirs
- Final Years
Early Life and Education
Froim Oyerbakh was born into a Hasidic family in Beltsy, Bessarabia (now Moldova). He studied at a cheder and a secular school, where he began writing stories in Russian and Hebrew in 1908.
Literary Debut and Exile
In 1909, Oyerbakh published his first poems in Yiddish in the Vilna journal "Zangen" (Stems). He also contributed stories about Bessarabian Jewish life to the Odessa newspaper "Gut Morgen" (Good Morning). In 1911, he moved to Warsaw and, a year later, to Palestine.
During World War I, Oyerbakh was exiled to Egypt as a citizen of an enemy power. He joined the Jewish Legion and fought at Gallipoli. After demobilization in 1915, he settled in the United States, primarily in New York.
Immigration to America
In New York, Oyerbakh worked as a Yiddish teacher and contributed to numerous Yiddish-language publications. He also served as president of the "League for the Fight for the Rights of Yiddish in Eretz-Israel (Palestine)."
Poetic Career
Oyerbakh published his first collection of poems, "Af'n Shvel" (On the Threshold), in New York in 1915. It was followed by "Karavanen" (Caravans, 1918), "Der Royter Fodm" (The Red Thread, 1927), "Adas Liderbukh" (Adah's Songbook, 1934), and others. His poems were translated into Hebrew and English.
Literary Criticism and Memoirs
In addition to his poetry, Oyerbakh also published essays, literary criticism, and memoirs. He briefly worked in the style of socialist realism. His writings included a monumental "Lexicon Fun Der Nayer Yidisher Literatur" (Lexicon of New Yiddish Literature, 1969).
Final Years
Oyerbakh relocated to Israel shortly before his death in 1971. His works continue to be celebrated as a significant contribution to Yiddish literature.
