Eliezer Schindler (; 1892–1957) was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

writer, poet, and activist. He wrote 31 books in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

Biography

Schindler was born in a

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

family in Tyczyn,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and grew up in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. There, he took part in the work of numerous Yiddishist and Zionist organizations and had his first poetry book published in 1912. Two years later, he was drafted by the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

and took part in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was wounded in battle and captured by the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. He spent over three years in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and the Lower Volga, traveling between villages and working at farms. Eventually, he moved to

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

by the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. There, he met a group of

Subbotniks Subbotniks ( rus, Субботники, p=sʊˈbotnʲɪkʲɪ, "Sabbatarians") is a common name for adherents of Russians, Russian religious movements that split from Sabbatarianism, Sabbatarian sects in the late 18th century. The majority o ...

, i.e. aspiring

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of Slavic background. He helped them learn Hebrew and taught them Judaism and Zionist ideas. Schindler's poetry books ''Fun step un yishuv'' and ''Lider'', published in 1922 and 1929, respectively, include a number of poems about his time in Astrakhan and nearby rural areas such as ''Geyrem'' ("Gerim"), ''Baym Yaroslan'' ("By the River Yeruslan") and ''Kirgiznhoyf'' ("Kyrgyz Farm"). Schindler's poetry reflects Astrakhan's high degree of ethnic diversity and its "Oriental" atmosphere. In his poem ''Akhsanye in step'' ("Inn in the Steppe"), Schindler described the great variety of peoples he had met during his time in the region: Kazakhs, Kalmyks, Tatars, Ukrainians, Russians, Estonians, Latvians, Circassians, Romanis, Germans, Mokshas and others. In his later writing, Schindler would often retell the folk legends from various cultures he had heard while traveling. After the end of World War I, Schindler returned to Munich where he worked as a Hebrew teacher and met his future wife, Sali, with whom he later emigrated to the United States and bought a chicken farm in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

. His children were Dr. Eva Schindler Oles and Rabbi Alexander Schindler, president of the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

from 1973 to 1996. Schindler was a student of the Austrian Jewish philosopher and Zionist activist

Nathan Birnbaum Nathan Birnbaum (; pseudonyms: "Mathias Acher", "Dr. N. Birner", "Mathias Palme", "Anton Skart", "Theodor Schwarz", and "Pantarhei"; 25 April 1864 – 4 April 1937) was an Austrian writer and journalist, Jewish thinker and nationalist. His life ...

. He was an active member of the Bais Yaakov movement, for which he wrote an anthem and a number of textbooks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schindler, Eliezer 1892 births 1957 deaths 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American poets Activists from New Jersey American male poets Jewish American activists Jewish American poets Jewish Polish writers People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey People from Rzeszów County Yiddish-language poets Yiddish-language writers Yiddish-speaking people