Born in 1891 in the Ukraine. Was one of the vogiikste Soviet novelists. He began his literary activity with a Russian story in Gorki's collection book "Lyetofis", then collaborated in the Russian daily newspaper "Kievskaya misl", a'a Russian periodicals. Since 1918 he began to write the majority in Yiddish, stories, novels and critiques in the Soviet-Yiddish periodicals. Issued several books in Yiddish, and several translated work from the Russian, and together with Auslander, Lurie and Fininberg, "Yiddish Literature" (chrestomathy and critique), V. under the pseudonym D. Isakovitsh, printed critiques and theatre reviews.

In 1922 in Kiev's publishing house "Komunistisher fan", issued his translation "Har-hunger, a dramatic poem in four acts, after L. Andreyev". V. also, together with M. Norvid, adapted Sholem Aleichem's "Mentshn" as "Ristokratn", which in the 1927-28 was staged in the Jewish State Theatre in the Ukraine.

His novel "Oyfgang" was published in Russia shortly before his death.

V. oysgemitn the liquidation of the Yiddish writer in Soviet Russia. Aleksander Pomerantz, at the bottom of a letter from Jewish poet and teacher Velednitsky, writes:

"Volkenshteyn lived as before (Kiev -- A. P.), oyshalt from his wife. We had not stirred, but discarded from society (?)(Ukrainian Writers Union -- A. P.) for "Umtetikeyt". He was physically and mentally broken, had long suffered from "fear sickness". Now a little regret. He appears much older than his true age. The memory of him is very weak. He is always a tseveytikter and is ready every minute to tseveynen".

In 1961 V. passed away in Kiev.

• "Lexicon of the New Yiddish Literature", Vol. III, New York, 1960, p. 290.

• Alexander Pomerantz -- "Di sovetishe hrugi mlkhut", Buenos Aires, pp. 54-55, 473-74.

• Y. Lyubomirski -- "Melukhisher yidisher teater in ukraine", Kharkov, 1931, pp. 44-45.