Itche Goldberg (

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 ...

: איטשע גאָלדבערג; March 22, 1904 – December 27, 2006) was a Polish-born

language writer of children's books, poet,

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

, educator,

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

, camp director, publisher, fundraiser, essayist, literary editor, Yiddish language and culture scholar, and left-wing political activist. He devoted his life to the preservation of the Yiddish language and secular Yiddish culture.

Early years

Goldberg was born in

Opatów Opatów (; ) is a town in southeastern Poland, within Opatów County in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Province). Historically, it was part of a greater region called Lesser Poland. In 2012 the population was 6,658. Opatów is located ...

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 moved to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

in 1914, attending Poznanski Teachers Seminary. In 1920 he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, studying

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

. While in Toronto, he taught Yiddish at The Workmen's Circle (now

The Workers Circle The Workers Circle or Der Arbeter Ring (), formerly The Workmen's Circle, is an American Jewish nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic justice, Jewish community and education, including Yiddish studies, and Ashkenazic culture. I ...

); it was in Toronto that his

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...

/pro-

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

sympathies matured.historycooperative.org
; accessed January 31, 2018. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the late 1920s, and continued teaching Yiddish there as well as in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, but left the

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

Workmen's Circle schools for the more

radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

''Arbeter Ordn Shuln''. The education schism, with Goldberg and many schools leaving the ''Arbeter Ring'' to form the ''Ordn'' network, was part of an exceedingly vituperative break within the leftist Yiddish community between the communists and socialists (who the communists sometimes called "social fascists").

Yiddishist

Passing on the Yiddish tradition to future generations was a mainstay of his life. From 1937 to 1951 he was editor of ''Yungvarg'', a children's magazine. He wrote many children's stories, and his book, ''Yiddish Stories for Young People'', is still being used at Workmen's Circle schools. From 1970 to 1985 he was professor of Yiddish language and literature at Queens College CUNY. He may be currently best known as editor from 1964 to 2004 of the longest-running journal of

Yiddish literature Yiddish literature encompasses all those belles-lettres written in Yiddish, the language of Ashkenazic Jewry which is related to Middle High German. The history of Yiddish, with its roots in central Europe and locus for centuries in Eastern Eu ...

, ''Yidishe Kultur''. The frequency of publication went down during this period, as Yiddish writers and speakers gradually died off. The final edition was published in 2004. Yet, he clung to the notion that Yiddish can still be a living language. He saw in the Yiddish/Jewish culture of Eastern Europe humanistic and progressive values. He felt that these were important, not religious ritual. He even criticized Nobel Prize–winning author I.B. Singer for not portraying these ideals in his writings.

Leftist

Goldberg, a secular Jew, had been closely associated with left-wing causes for many years. There were probably several threads to his attraction to a radical cause. His close associates in Toronto were communists, including his brother-in-law, who shared his revolutionary worldview of social justice. He saw the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

as the salvation for the Jewish national and social problems. Also, he described an embedded rebelliousness in those doubly alienated, "suffering and benefiting from 'rejection nd persecutionby the

Gentiles ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites, groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsider ...

, but also their own rejection of the narrowness of the rabbi and merchant dominated shtetl life'". Shortly after moving to

, he became director of the ''Arbeter Ordn Shuln'', and helped set up a nationwide network of these schools, reaching a peak number of 140. Best described as supplemental schools, they aimed at promoting Yiddish identity, as well as inculcating the concepts of

class consciousness In Marxism, class consciousness is the set of beliefs that persons hold regarding their social class or economic rank in society, the structure of their class, and their common class interests. According to Karl Marx, class consciousness is an awa ...

and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. Goldberg saw two function of the (school); "to revolutionize Yiddish education and to separate religion from education for the first time in Jewish history; and on the other hand to ensure that progressive secularism is carried forward from generation to generation." For decades beginning in the 1920s, including two as director, he was associated with

Camp Kinderland Camp Kinderland is a summer camp located in Tolland, Massachusetts, for youngsters aged eight through sixteen. The camp's motto is ''summer camp with a conscience since 1923''. The main topics of the curriculum are: equality, peace, community, ...

, known as a " red diaper baby" camp. From 1937-51, he was national school and cultural director of the

Jewish People's Fraternal Order The Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO) was the Jewish division of the International Workers Order. At its peak following World War II, the JPFO had around 50,000 members. History The International Workers Order (IWO) originated as a split w ...

, a branch of the pro-Communist

International Workers Order The International Workers Order (IWO) was an insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951 on the grounds that the organization ...

. At its peak after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the JPFO had 50,000 members. When the IWO was about to be liquidated during the Red Scare in 1954 by the Department of Insurance of New York State (IWO was a fiscally sound fraternal benefit insurance company with close 200,000 members in its peak years, 1946–47), Itche withdrew the Yiddish shuls from the JPFO in order to preserve them, creating the independent Service Bureau for Jewish Education so that the schools could continue to function. In the anti-left atmosphere of the period, this effort was only partially successful. Over time he made a transition to

democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a left-wing economic ideology, economic and political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and wor ...

, eventually seeing the

as an anti-model. By the 1950s his enthusiasm for the Soviet Union had completely evaporated, particularly after the Soviets executed Jewish writers in 1952.Editor strives to save Yiddish journal
, raoulwallenberg.net; accessed January 31, 2018. Beginning in 1957 ''Yiddishe Kultur'' co-sponsored an annual public remembrance of the 12 August 1952 murders. Nevertheless, he remained a central figure in the

Jewish left The Jewish left refers to Jewish individuals or organizations that identify with or support left-wing or social liberal causes, consciously as Jews. There is no singular organization or movement that constitutes the Jewish left. Jews have been ma ...

for decades. Goldberg wrote and lectured frequently on the proud Jewish content he found in the works of such Soviet Yiddish writers as Perets Markish,

David Hofstein Dovid Hofshteyn ( ''Dovid Hofshteyn'', ; June 12, 1889 in Korostyshiv – August 12, 1952), also transliterated as David Hofstein, was a Yiddish poet. He was one of the 13 Jewish intellectuals executed on the Night of the Murdered Poets. Biograph ...

, and

David Bergelson David (or Dovid) Bergelson (, , 12 August 1884 – 12 August 1952) was a Yiddish language writer born in the Russian Empire. He lived for a time in Berlin, Germany, before moving to the Soviet Union following the Nazi rise to power in Germany. He ...

. The

Yidisher Kultur Farband Yidisher Kultur Farband ( ,YKUF, rarely called by its English ranslatedname, the Jewish Culture Association) was a Communist-oriented organization, formed for preserving and developing Yiddish culture in Yiddish and in English, through an art sec ...

(YKUF) in whose leadership Goldberg served for many years published numerous works by these authors when other Yiddish publishers in the west rejected them as outside of the Yiddish canon.

Centenary and accolades

In honor of his 100th birthday the Jewish People's Philharmonic Chorus had a concert which included a musical adaptation of

I.L. Peretz Isaac Leib Peretz (May 18, 1852 – April 3, 1915), also sometimes written Yitskhok Leybush Peretz (; ), was a Polish Jewish writer and playwright writing in Yiddish language, Yiddish. Payson R. Stevens, Charles M. Levine, and Sol Steinmetz count ...

's "''Oyb Nit Nokh Hekher''", with

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Itche Goldberg. In another 100th birthday tribute,

Jerrold Nadler Jerrold Lewis Nadler (; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of New York. A Manhattan resident and a member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. representative for since 2023. Nadler was first ...

honored him in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

by saying, "Mir shatsn op ayer vunderlekhe arbet letoyves der yidisher kultur vos hot baraykhert dem gontsn Yiddishn yishev." "We honor your wonderful work for the benefit of Yiddish culture, which enriches the entire Jewish community." Goldberg had won the

Itzik Manger Prize The Itzik Manger Prize for outstanding contributions to Yiddish literature (, ) was established in 1968, shortly before Itzik Manger's death in 1969. Manger "was and remains one of the best-known twentieth-century Yiddish poets." The Prize has bee ...

for Yiddish literature in 1985.

Death

He died at age 102. His last book was ''Essayen Tsvey'' (''Essays Two'') in 2004, when he was 100 years. In honor of this publication, a commemoration of his life was held on July 25, 2006, sponsored by YIVO and League for Yiddish. A Josh Waletzky documentary was made of his life at age 101, "Itche Goldberg, A Century Of Yiddish Letters",The Yiddish Music Hall: recent Releases
, savethemusic.com; accessed January 31, 2018. and was shown at this event.

References

External links

"Editor Strives to Save Yiddish Journal"
* ttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3253318,00.html "Fight To Save Yiddish"br>Baltimore Sun interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldberg, Itche 1904 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American men centenarians American male non-fiction writers American male poets American people of Polish-Jewish descent Itzik Manger Prize recipients Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish American poets Jewish centenarians Naturalized citizens of the United States Polish emigrants to the United States American secular Jews Yiddish-language writers People from Opatów McMaster University alumni