WALDMAN, MOSHE

WALDMAN, MOSHE (1911–1996), Yiddish poet, journalist, and editor. Born in Ozorkow near Lodz, Waldman attended a Polish school and a modern Hebrew institution. After spending several years in Lodz (1927–31), where he edited the children's literary magazine Lomir Kinder Lernen and co-edited the journal Di Fraye Yugnt, he moved to Warsaw and then to Paris and Brussels. After publishing an article about Zishe *Bagish in the Brussels Yiddish press and a poem in a Philadelphia journal (1932), Waldman contributed poetry, criticism, and articles about education issues to various journals in Lodz, Warsaw, Cracow, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires, Mexico, and Tel Aviv. On his return to Warsaw (1933), he led various cultural activities of Po'alei Zion until World War ii. In 1938 his first collection of poems, Fartunklte Frimorgns ("Darkened Mornings"), appeared. The original tone of the then still unknown poet attracted the attention of Dov *Sadan, who printed Hebrew translations of two poems in the Tel Aviv daily Davar. In September 1939 Waldman fled to Bialystok and from there was deported by the Soviets to Komi; he lived in Bukhara (1941–46). Among the survivors of the Holocaust who returned to Lodz, he tried to rebuild a Jewish life there, but in 1949 he immigrated to Paris, which became a flourishing postwar center of Yiddish culture. Waldman's interests then focused on promoting the survival of Yiddish culture. In Paris, he initiated educational and cultural projects, and helped Yiddish writers and artists arriving from eastern Europe. For decades he had a vitalizing effect on young people whom he inspired to take responsibility for the Yiddish cultural heritage. His indefatigable efforts played an important role in the growing interest in Yiddish literature and culture in Paris among young researchers and translators. His poem Gang aroyf tsu Yerusholayim ("Ascending to Jerusalem," 1976) was accompanied by French and Hebrew translations. A splendid volume of his collected poetry, Fun Ale Vaytn ("From All Remote Regions," 1980), appeared with an introduction by D. Sadan and illustrations by various artists. In 1983 he was awarded the Manger Prize. Two collections of his poetry in Hebrew translation appeared (1985, 1986). Later in life, he often went for longer sojourns to Israel with his wife, the Yiddish novelist Menuha Ram.

bibliography:

lnyl, 3 (1960), 269; B. Kagan, Leksikon, 228; H.L. Fuks, Fun Noentn Over, 3 (1957), 250–5; D. Sadan, Moznaim, 43:2 (July 1976), 133–9; M. Yungman, Di Goldene Keyt, 103 (1980), 191–3.