Monday 5 September 2016

TSVI-HIRSH ZELTSHENKO (H. ZELCHENKO)

TSVI-HIRSH ZELTSHENKO (H. ZELCHENKO) (b. September 4, 1891)
            He was born in Rososne (Rasasna), near Dubrovno, Mohilev district, where his father served as rabbi and ritual slaughterer.  He studied with his father and later as an external student.  Using the party name “Spartak” (Spartacus), he participated in the social democratic movement (Iskra [Spark]).  He published stories and children’s tales in the provincial Russian press.  In 1913 he moved to the United States and contributed to the Russian-language publications in New York: Novy mir (New world) and Svobodnoie slovo (Free word).  In Yiddish he wrote for the Philadelphia edition of the daily Di tsayt (The times), and later he became a contributor to Frayhayt (Freedom) for which he edited the children’s division and published children’s stories in prose and verse.  In 1925 he became a contributor to Tog (Day) and Amerikaner (American).  He later abandoned Yiddish altogether.  In book form: Yosl, kinder mayses (Yosl, children’s stories), in verse (New York: Tsvaygn, 1925), 16 pp.; Heymloze, a mayse fun dem lebn fun di heymloze kinder in rusland (Homeless, a story of the life of homeless children in Russia) (New York: Shpil, 1927).  He also published two volumes of children’s stories in Russian.  He was the younger brother of the writer Shmuel-Mortkhe Zeltshen (Z. Mark) in Canada.

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1.


4 comments:

  1. Hey, that's my Grandpa! Thanks for translating this from Yiddish, Joshua Fogel! His aliases were Grigoriy L'vovich, Henry L., and Hirsch-Zvi. (Note: Tsvi-Hirsch was not the "younger brother" of S. Mark Selchen (Winnipeg Selchens), but a cousin. They were also cousins of Judah Zelitch (Steven Zelitch), the Philadelphia jurist. All three are listed in Reyzen's Leksikon. All collaborated on various projects, including Camp Kinderland, Camp Boiberik, YIVO, Freeland League, and a newspaper or printing company they started in New York City. All modified the original name Zelichyonok Зеличенок (Александр Зеличенко) and the family hails from around Staroye Selo and Vetka, north of Gomel.)

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  2. One other thing of relevance: In the early 1920's Zvi-Hirsch was involved for a long time with Moyshe Nadir and the rest of Di Yunge, who tended to spend weekends at the farm. YIVO archivist Lev G. scanned some old photos on this subject, mostly taken at Nadir's farm, and these photos are in the YIVO archive.

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  3. All wonderful, additional information. Many thanks!

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  4. It is written that he was born in 1891. There is no death date. As a librarian who is cataloging his book Yosl it's important to know.

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