Moshe Menuhin (1893–1983) was an American Jewish writer and teacher of

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 ...

Biography

Menuhin was born Moshe Mnuchin in

Gomel Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census). Etymology There are at least six narratives of the ori ...

to a distinguished, religious

Lithuanian Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent areas o ...

family. He was the great great grandson of Rabbi

Shneur Zalman of Liadi Shneur Zalman of Liadi ( he, שניאור זלמן מליאדי, September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, O.S. / 18 Elul 5505 – 24 Tevet 5573) was an influential Lithuanian Jews, Li ...

, the founder of

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

Hassidism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

as well as Rabbi

Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev (Levi Yitzchok Derbarmdiger (compassionate in Yiddish) or Rosakov) (1740–1809), also known as the holy Berdichever, and the Kedushas Levi, was a Hasidic master and Jewish leader. He was the rabbi of Ryczywół, Że ...

. When the family moved to the

Yishuv Yishuv ( he, ישוב, literally "settlement"), Ha-Yishuv ( he, הישוב, ''the Yishuv''), or Ha-Yishuv Ha-Ivri ( he, הישוב העברי, ''the Hebrew Yishuv''), is the body of Jewish residents in the Land of Israel (corresponding to the s ...

, Moshe was sent to Orthodox Jewish schools, first to

Yeshivas A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stud ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, then to the Hebrew

Gymnasia Herzlia The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium ( he, הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, ''HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya'', Also known as ''Gymnasia Herzliya''), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High Scho ...

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

- Tel Aviv. In 1913 he came to the United States to complete his higher education, attending

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

where he studied mathematics, political science and education. In late 1919 he and his wife Marutha (née Sher) became American citizens, and changed their surname to Menuhin.

Jacqueline Kent Jacqueline Frances Kent (born 1947) is an Australian journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer. She is also known as Jacquie Kent, the name she used when writing young adult fiction in the 1990s and sometimes writes as Frances Cook. Career ...

, ''An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin'', p. 18 He later moved to California, where he worked as a Hebrew teacher. His views were

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...

, and were subject of controversy in the Jewish world. He was the author of ''The Decadence of Judaism in Our Time'' and ''Jewish Critics of Zionism'', and of the family history ''The Menuhin Saga''.

Family

Moshe Menuhin was the father of renowned violinist

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

and pianists

Hephzibah Menuhin Hephzibah Menuhin (20 May 19201 January 1981) was an American-Australian pianist, writer, and human rights campaigner. She was sister to the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and to the pianist, painter, and poet Yaltah Menuhin. She was also a linguist ...

and Yaltah Menuhin.

Works

*''The decadence of Judaism in our time.'' New York, Exposition Press, 1965 *"The Other Side of the Coin." Published circa 1967. A copy of which is held in the UN Library in Geneva. *''Quo vadis Zionist Israel? A 1969 postscript to The decadence of Judaism in our time.'' Beirut,

Institute for Palestine Studies The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) is the oldest independent nonprofit public service research institute in the Arab world. It was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963 and has since served as a model for other such inst ...

, 1969 *''In memory of Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden, United Nations mediator on Palestine'' New York : Arab Information Center, 1969 *
Jewish critics of Zionism : a testamentary essay, with the stifling and smearing of a dissenter
' New York : League of Arab States, Arab Information Center, 1974 *
The stifling and smearing of a dissenter
' By Moshe Menuhin *''A Jewish child in Czarist Russia Moshe Menuhin describes life in a Jewish ghetto of Czarist Russia.'' Hollywood, Calif. : Center for cassette studies, 1976 *''The Menuhin saga: the autobiography of Moshe Menuhin.'' London : Sidgwick & Jackson 1984

References

External links

Grace Halsell,

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs The ''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs'' (also known as ''The Washington Report'' and WRMEA) magazine, published eight times per year, focuses on "news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region".

July 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Menuhin, Moshe 1893 births 1983 deaths American Orthodox Jews American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Belarusian Jews Expatriates in Ottoman Palestine Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium alumni Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Jewish anti-Zionism in the United States Jews in Ottoman Palestine New York University alumni People from California People from Gomel