Zechariah Choneh Bergner (; 27 November 1893 – 20 August 1976), better known by his pen name Melech Ravitch (), was a

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 ...

poet and essayist. Ravitch was one of the world's leading Yiddish literary figures both before and after the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. His poetry and essays appeared in the international Yiddish press and in anthologies, as well as in translation.

Life

Life in Poland

Bergner was born in 1893 to Efrayim and Hinde Bergner in

Radymno Radymno ( ''Radymno'', ''Redem'') is a town in south-eastern Poland with 5,543 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It has been part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship since its creation in 1999. Radymno was previously in the Przemyśl Voivodeship between 197 ...

Eastern Galicia Eastern Galicia (; ; ) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv Oblast, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Oblast, Ternopil), having also essential historic importance in Poland. Galicia ( ...

. Leaving home at age 14, he served in the Austrian army 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 ...

and lived in

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Emboldened by the 1908

Czernowitz Language Conference Yiddishism is a cultural and linguistic movement that advocates and promotes the use of the Yiddish language. It began among Jews in Eastern Europe during the latter part of the 19th century. Some of the leading founders of this movement were Men ...

, he became involved in the

Yiddishist movement Yiddishism is a cultural and linguistic movement that advocates and promotes the use of the Yiddish language. It began among Jews in Eastern Europe during the latter part of the 19th century. Some of the leading founders of this movement were Men ...

and began writing poetry. Together with a fellow poet Shmuel Yankev Imber, he strove to promote the aesthetic ideals of

neo-romanticism The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in philosophy, literature, music, painting, and architecture, as well as social movements, that exist after and incorporate elements from the era of Romanticism. It has been used ...

in Lviv Jewish literary centres, inspired by Jewish writers such as

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...

and

Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig ( ; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world. Zweig was raised in V ...

. His earliest poetry appeared in '' Der yidisher arbeyter'' in 1910. Other work of the period included the 1912 collection ''Oyf der Shvel'' (On the Threshold) and 1918's ''Spinoza''. From the early 1920s he was an active contributor of poems and essays to major Yiddish periodicals, under the name Melech Ravitch. Moving 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 1921, he belonged to

Di Chaliastre Di Chaliastre or Khalyastre (, from Polish "halastra" - gang) was a Jewish avant-garde expressionist-futuristic group of poets, who worked in Warsaw between 1919 and 1924. The poets wrote in Yiddish and published a namesake magazine. The name of ...

("The Gang"), a

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

literary group which included

Uri Zvi Greenberg Uri Zvi Greenberg (; September 22, 1896 – May 8, 1981; also spelled Uri Zvi Grinberg) was an Israeli poet, journalist and politician who wrote in Yiddish and Hebrew. Widely regarded among the greatest poets in the country's history, he was a ...

and

Peretz Markish Peretz Davidovich Markish () () (7 December O.S. 25 November">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 25 November1895 – 12 August 1952) was a Russian Jewish poet and playwright who wrote pr ...

. He was a co-founder of the Yiddish literary journal ''

Literarishe Bleter The ''Literarishe Bleter'' () was a Yiddish weekly literary and cultural periodical published in Warsaw from 1924 to 1939. History Background and creation In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the Russian Empire's restrictions on ...

'' and served as secretary of the Yiddish Writers' Union, which then included

Sholem Asch Sholem Asch (, ; 1 November 1880 – 10 July 1957), also written Shalom Ash, was a Polish Jews, Polish-Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language who settled in the United States. Life and work Asch was born Szalom Asz in ...

Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer (; 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Poland, Polish-born Jews, Jewish novelist, short-story writer, memoirist, essayist, and translator in the United States. Some of his works were adapted for the theater. He wrote and publish ...

, and I. J. Singer. He was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and patron of the Jewish Vegetarian Society.

Life in Australia and Canada

Ravitch visited Australia in 1933 to raise funds for the Tsentrale Yidishe Shul Organizatsye (TSYSHO), an organisation of Yiddish schools in Poland, and to investigate the feasibility of resettling European Jewish refugees in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

. In 1935 he moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, where he edited the First Australian Jewish Almanac and helped establish the city's first Yiddish school, of which he served as headmaster. After 1938, he moved to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, New York City, and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, before settling in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, where he lived until his death. He briefly served as head of the Jewish Public Library and revived the Yidishe Folks-Universitet (Jewish People's Popular University), which he ran from 1941 to 1954.

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravitch, Melech 1893 births 1976 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian publishers (people) Jewish Canadian writers Jews from Austria-Hungary Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) People from Radymno Polish emigrants to Canada Poets from Montreal Writers from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Yiddish-speaking people Yiddish culture in Quebec Yiddish-language journalists Yiddish-language poets 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male poets