Born on 24
December 1890 in Yagelnitza (Jagielnica),
Eastern Galicia, into a mashkhil-Orthodox
home. He learned until age fifteen in a cheder,
and at the same time in a Baron Hirsch
folkshul. Feeling a narrow intellect in
Yagelnitza, V. traveled to Czernowitz, where he
entered into the business school. However he
also didn't find himself here in a gymnasium, in
this connection suffering poverty and hardships.
A short time later V. traveled to Vienna, where
he learned in a "report lyceum" Here he
began to correspond in Krakow's "Tog", under the
direction of Yonah Krepl, and when the newspaper
turned over the management authority for the
Galician simulators(?), Dr. Levenshteyn -- V.
went over to the "Lemberg tagenblat".
1911 -- V. arrived
in Lemberg and became in this "Togblat" an
internal co-worker until the outbreak of the
World War At the end of 1919 he again entered
into editing, where he worked until his last
days.
V. was secretary of
the Yiddish Literature and Journalism Club in
Lemberg.
Becoming more
acquainted with and nearer to the Lemberg
Yiddish theatre, V. wrote the following plays: "Der
yom-kdin", a folkshtik in four acts with
a prologue, which became a hit in Lemberg and
also became performed very often across the
Galician province; "Der nayer dur", a drama in
four acts, "Di shreklekhe udoy", a drama, and
the one-acter "Der yunger kemfer" -- all acted
with material success.
V. also translated
for Lemberg's Yiddish theatre, where he was a
prompter for a certain time, Schiller's
"Robbers" and "Maria Stuart" and Shakespeare's
"Shylock" and "Macbeth".
V. was a member of
the Yiddish worker's stage "Jacob Gordin", and
had performed for the Lemberg artists at the
Yiddish Artists Conference in Warsaw.
On 16 May 1922, V.
passed away in Lemberg.
After V.'s death,
there was performed in Lemberg his operetta "Unzer
mogen dovid" (music by Chone Wolfstal).
-
Z. Reyzen --
"Lexicon of Yiddish Literature", Vol. I, p.
955.
-
Necrology fro Y.
Shpigel, Ben-tsion Ginsberg and Dr. Moshe
Lustig in "Tognlbat", Lemberg, 18 May 1922.