Edward Sperling
Encyclopedia
Edward J Sperling born Ezra Sperling, was a 20th century writer
, humourist, and Zionist.
, then part of the Russian Empire
. As a boy, he and his family fled Russia to avoid the state-sponsored pogroms, emigrating to the United States
, where he changed his name to Edward. His family eventually settled in Sioux City, Iowa
. As a boy – and throughout his life – Edward was described as quiet, gentle, and fairly introverted, spending most of his time reading or writing. As a result, he took to writing professionally, writing articles for local Jewish newspapers.
broke out in 1918, Edward went to Canada
to join the British Army, and ended up enlisting in the Jewish Legion
under Joseph Trumpeldor
, for whom he would later name his first-born son, Joseph Trumpeldor Sperling (though this was also because Edward's future wife had been friends with Trumpeldor). It is unclear whether Sperling was a zionist before joining the Jewish Legion, or if his experiences under Zionists such as Trumpeldor influenced him to that end, but it is certain that by the time the war was over, he believed very strongly in the Zionist cause. After his discharge from the Jewish Legion, he settled in Palestine, where he married a fellow Russian émigré named Sara Fixman, with whom he had 4 children. He befriended many prominent Zionists, among them future president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
, Palestine Post/Jerusalem Post founder Gershon Agron
, and future prime minister Moshe Shertok. At the request of the Jewish Agency, Edward began working for the British Mandate, rising to the post of director-general
of the ministry of trade and industry. He used this post to aid the development of Jewish industries and the kibbutzim.
Excerpts from Barrage:
In 1992, Sperling's grandson, David Sperling, compiled a great number of the aphorisms into a book entitled Barrage: Observations from Palestine, 1940 – 1946, which remains as of yet unpublished.
Sperling also wrote art criticisms for the Jewish Chronicle and the Palestine Post (the latter which published his last review on the day of his death), using the initials "Th. F.M.".
, and was staying at the King David Hotel
. As he left the hotel, he was shot at by IZL men (not knowing he himself was a zionist). He fled back into his office in the hotel, which was subsequently bombed by the IZL. He was buried on the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem. (See King David Hotel bombing
).
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, humourist, and Zionist.
Early life
Ezra Sperling was born in 1889 in a Jewish community in Slutzk, BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. As a boy, he and his family fled Russia to avoid the state-sponsored pogroms, emigrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he changed his name to Edward. His family eventually settled in Sioux City, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. As a boy – and throughout his life – Edward was described as quiet, gentle, and fairly introverted, spending most of his time reading or writing. As a result, he took to writing professionally, writing articles for local Jewish newspapers.
World War One and Aftermath
When World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out in 1918, Edward went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to join the British Army, and ended up enlisting in the Jewish Legion
Jewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
under Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor , was an early Zionist activist. He helped organize the Zion Mule Corps and bring Jewish immigrants to the Land of Israel. Trumpeldor died defending the settlement of Tel Hai in 1920 and subsequently became a Zionist national hero...
, for whom he would later name his first-born son, Joseph Trumpeldor Sperling (though this was also because Edward's future wife had been friends with Trumpeldor). It is unclear whether Sperling was a zionist before joining the Jewish Legion, or if his experiences under Zionists such as Trumpeldor influenced him to that end, but it is certain that by the time the war was over, he believed very strongly in the Zionist cause. After his discharge from the Jewish Legion, he settled in Palestine, where he married a fellow Russian émigré named Sara Fixman, with whom he had 4 children. He befriended many prominent Zionists, among them future president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
, Palestine Post/Jerusalem Post founder Gershon Agron
Gershon Agron
Gershon Agron was an Israeli newspaper editor and mayor of Jerusalem in 1955-1959.-Biography:Gershon Agron was born in the Ukraine and emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five. He grew up in Philadelphia. During World War I, he fought with the Jewish Legion in Palestine...
, and future prime minister Moshe Shertok. At the request of the Jewish Agency, Edward began working for the British Mandate, rising to the post of director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the ministry of trade and industry. He used this post to aid the development of Jewish industries and the kibbutzim.
Writings
While working for the British Mandate, Edward wrote for many newspapers, including the London Jewish Chronicle and the Palestine Illustrated News, often under pseudonyms (most notably "Caisson"). His most successful article, which he wrote for the Illustrated News, was entitled "Barrage". Barrage, which was essentially a collection of humorous aphorisms/one-liners, ran from 1937 to April 1946. The humour expressed is often based on the inconveniences of Palestinian (and later, war-time) life.Excerpts from Barrage:
- "It is feared that the high cost of hair dyes may cause a serious shortage of blondes in the country."
- "Military experts, once skeptical, now give great praise to the Soviet Army. Those Russians have shown that they can make towns faster than anybody else can pronounce them".
- "It is feared that should the python, which escaped the other day from the Tel Aviv Zoo, begin to devour camels, the city will be threatened with a serious meat shortage".
In 1992, Sperling's grandson, David Sperling, compiled a great number of the aphorisms into a book entitled Barrage: Observations from Palestine, 1940 – 1946, which remains as of yet unpublished.
Sperling also wrote art criticisms for the Jewish Chronicle and the Palestine Post (the latter which published his last review on the day of his death), using the initials "Th. F.M.".
Death
On July 22, 1946, Edward Sperling was preparing to leave Jerusalem to go to HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, and was staying at the King David Hotel
King David Hotel
The King David Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish Banker. To this day the hotel remains one of the most prominent and prestigious hotels in Israel, and...
. As he left the hotel, he was shot at by IZL men (not knowing he himself was a zionist). He fled back into his office in the hotel, which was subsequently bombed by the IZL. He was buried on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
in Jerusalem. (See King David Hotel bombing
King David Hotel bombing
The King David Hotel bombing was an attack carried out by themilitant right-wing Zionist underground organization Irgun on the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on 22 July 1946...
).