Leyb Moiseyevich Kvitko (russian: Лев Моисе́евич Кви́тко, yi, לייב קוויטקאָ) (October 15, 1890 – August 12, 1952) was a prominent

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

poet, an author of well-known children's poems and a member of the

Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, ''Yevreysky antifashistsky komitet'' yi, יידישער אנטי פאשיסטישער קאמיטעט, ''Yidisher anti fashistisher komitet''., abbreviated as JAC, ''YeAK'', was an organization that was created i ...

(JAC). He was one of the editors of ''Eynikayt'' (the JAC's newspaper) and of the '' Heymland'', a literary magazine. He was executed in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

on August 12, 1952 together with twelve other members of the JAC, a massacre known as the

Night of the Murdered Poets The Night of the Murdered Poets (; yi, הרוגי מלכות פֿונעם ראַטנפאַרבאַנד, translit=Harugey malkus funem Ratnfarband, lit=Soviet Union Martyrs) was the execution of thirteen Soviet Jews in the Lubyanka Prison in Mosco ...

. Kvitko was rehabilitated in 1955. He was born in a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

shtetl A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...

, attended traditional Jewish religious school for boys (

cheder A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...

) and was orphaned early. He moved to

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

in 1917 and soon became one of the leading Yiddish poets of the "Kiev Group". He lived in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

between 1921 and 1925 joining there the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...

and publishing critically acclaimed poetry. He returned to the Soviet Union in 1925 and moved to

in 1936, joining the

CPSU "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

in 1939. By that time he was primarily writing verses for children and his style fully corresponded to the canons of

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

Gallery

Akh, az ikh ṿel oysṿaḳsn!, L. Ḳviṭḳo ; gemeln fun ḳinsṭler Y. Dayts.jpg, Children's book by Kvitko In vald L Kvitko tseykhenungen Y Ribak.jpg, ''In vald L Kvitko tseykhenungen Y Ribak'', children's book cover Me shlisṭ oys derfar, L. Ḳṿiṭḳo ; tseykhnungen, Y. Ribak.jpg A tsig mit zibn tsigelekh, ṭeḳsṭ L. Ḳṿiṭḳo; bilder A. Sudamara - א ציג מיט זיבן ציגעלעך, טעקסט ל. קװיטקא; בילדער א. סודאמארא (3859858454).jpg Di poṭshṭ, S. Marshaḳ fun Rusish L. Ḳṿiṭḳo; tseykhenungen M. Ḳoṭlyareṿsḳi - די פאטשט, ס. מארשאק; פונ רוסיש, ל. קװיטקא; צײכענונגענ, מ. קאטליארעװסקי (3859817560).jpg

References

External links

*
The Jewish Poet, Lev Kvitko

in Almanac "Yegupets", No 9,

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvitko, Leib 1890 births 1952 deaths 20th-century male writers 20th-century Ukrainian poets 20th-century Ukrainian writers People from Podolia Governorate Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Children's poets Executed writers Yiddish-language poets Jewish anti-fascists Jewish socialists Jewish Ukrainian poets Jews executed by the Soviet Union Jews from the Russian Empire Soviet children's writers Soviet Jews Soviet male poets Soviet male writers Soviet rehabilitations Ukrainian anti-fascists Ukrainian children's writers Ukrainian Jews Ukrainian male poets Ukrainian male writers