EPSTEIN, MORRIS

EPSTEIN, MORRIS (1921–1973), U.S. author and editor. Epstein was born in Newark, n.j., and studied at Yeshiva University and Columbia, receiving his doctorate from New York University in 1957. In his early years he wrote a number of children's books. In 1940 Epstein, together with Sigmund Laufer and Ezekiel Schloss, established the bi-monthly youth magazine World Over (1940–83) under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education and published with the support of the New York Jewish Board of Education. The 16-page English-language magazine served as a learning tool to challenge Jewish youth and reinforce the ideas they learned at Hebrew school and in the home, but with a non-academic bent. While the three founders produced most of the text and artwork for the magazine themselves, they also included stories and essays submitted from the U.S. and abroad. Epstein was also the managing editor of the Jewish Education Magazine. He edited and translated the tales of *Sindabar (Tales of Sendebar, 1967) and in 1970 published a book on the Sefer*Minhagim, an illustrated collection of Jewish customs (Venice, 1593). In 1955 he joined Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University and was appointed full professor and chairman of the English Department in 1966. He wrote radio plays, drama reviews, and scholarly essays, and broadcasted and lectured extensively.

Books by Epstein include My Holiday Story Book (1958), A Pictorial Treasury of Jewish Holidays and Customs (1959), A Picture Parade of Jewish History (1963), The New World OverStory Book: An Illustrated Anthology for Jewish Youth (1968), More World Over Stories: An Illustrated Anthology for Jewish Youth (1968), and All about Jewish Holidays and Customs (1970).

[Ruth Beloff (2^nd ed.)]