Born on 7 February 1885 in Zheskov (Rzeszow -- ed.), Galicia, to pious parents. He learned in a cheder and privately with a teacher. At the age of fourteen, he immigrated to Germany, and five years later he came with his brother to America. Here he was a buyer in a business, and he did other work until he traveled back in 1905 to Zheshov. 1908 -- began with Yiddish journalistically and edited various publications. In 1920 he went back to America, where he wrote articles in the "Forward", among others, also about theatre.

1923 -- wrote articles and reviews about Yiddish theatre in "Der idisher vekhter" in Cleveland. 1924 -- was theatre editor for Brooklyn's weekly page "Unzer tsaytung", and since January 1925 -- co-editor of the Cleveland "Di idishe velt", where he wrote each week about theatre and also published there papers about a number of Yiddish actors.

In 1913 W. wrote the play "Tsurik tsu got" (performed in Galicia, and in 1916 was performed in America with him and Y. Auerbach as the authors). The play then was published under the title "Tserisene neshamos (Torn Souls)", a lebensbild in four acts,, M. Hekl Publishers, Vienna-Brin, Tr"et (56 pp., 16°]. Later, V. wrote the play "Libe un yikhus (Love and Relations)" (staged in the Yiddish theatres of Galicia).

1927-8 -- W. was a partner (together with Sidney Greenbaum) at the Yiddish Metropolitan Theatre in Cleveland.

Sh. E.