Ephraim Eliyahu Lisitzky (; 31 January 1885 – 25 June 1962) was an American

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

poet, writer, and educator.

Biography

Born in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

in 1885, Lisitzky spent his childhood in

Slutzk Slutsk ( officially transliterated as Sluck, be, Слуцк; russian: Слуцк; pl, Słuck, lt, Sluckas, Yiddish/Hebrew: סלוצק ''Slutsk'') is a city in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2022, its population is ...

before moving to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

with his father in 1900. He spent a brief time studying at the Rabbi Yitzḥak Elḥanan Yeshiva, and received a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

. He afterward spent years teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies in various locations in the United States and Canada. In 1918, he was appointed head of the Communal Hebrew School in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, where he remained until his retirement. Lisitzky was a member of the

Zionist Organization of America The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) () is an American non-profit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897, as the Federation of American Zionists, it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th centur ...

and the Histradut Ivrit. Still, despite his early plans to emigrate to Israel, Lisitzky only visited there twice and remained ambivalent about the prospect throughout his life. He died in New Orleans in 1962 after a long illness.

Work

Lisitzky is credited with making significant contributions to the representation of marginalized groups in Hebrew literature. He is perhaps best known for his

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

''Medurot do'akhot'' ('Dying Campfires', 1937), written in unrhymed

trochaic tetrameter Trochaic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line of four trochaic feet. The etymology of the word Trochaic is the Greek word ''trokhaios'', from the verb ''trecho'', which means "I run". In classical metre, a trochee is a foot consis ...

, which is based on Native American legends. His collection of poems ''Be'oholey Kush'' ('In the Tents of Cush', 1953) draws inspiration from

African-American folktales African-American folktales are the storytelling and oral history of Slavery in the United States, enslaved African Americans during the 1700-1900s. These stories reveal life lessons, spiritual teachings, and cultural knowledge and wisdom for the ...

and

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...

. 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).

Honours

He was awarded

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...

in 1949 and the

Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion The Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (also known as HUC, HUC-JIR, and The College-Institute) is a Jewish seminary with three locations in the United States and one location in Jerusalem. It is the oldest extant Jewish semi ...

in 1960 for his literary achievements.

Selected bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * Translation of ''Eleh toldot adam'' into English. * * * "Yulius Keisar" . In * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lisitzky, Ephraim E. 1885 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American poets 20th-century American translators American male poets Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States English–Hebrew translators Hebrew-language poets Jewish American poets Jewish educators Jews and Judaism in New Orleans Marquette University alumni Poets from Louisiana Translators of William Shakespeare Writers from Minsk Writers from New Orleans