Yitzkhok Yoel Linetzky
Encyclopedia
Yitzkhok Yoel Linetzky was a Yiddish language
author and early Zionist
. Sol Liptzin
characterized him as "a master of the picturesque vitriolic phrase." [Liptzin, 1972, 46]
in Vinnytsia
, Podolia
(now in Ukraine
), but revolted against his violent schoolteachers and cabalist
father by aligning himself with the Haskalah
, the Jewish Enlightenment. His father tried to offset this development by marrying him at the age of fourteen to a twelve year old girl; he drew her away from Hasidism and Kaballah, and his father forced him to divorce and remarry, this time to what Liptzin describes as "a deaf, moronic woman".
Linetzky ran away to Odessa
, Ukraine, where he acquired a secular education. Attempting to leave for Germany
to continue his education, he was stopped at the border and brought back, a virtual prisoner, to Vinitza. At 23, he managed again to escape, this time to the government-sponsored rabbi
nical academy at Zhytomyr
, where he developed a close friendship with Abraham Goldfaden
.
Like Goldfaden and several other Yiddish-language writers of his generation, he came to prominence in the 1860s as a writer for Kol Mevasser
; like several others, he had first published in its Hebrew language
sister publication Hamelitz. With Goldfaden, he was later involved in several Yiddish language newspapers, including as joint editors of the short-lived weekly Yisrolik (July 1875–February 1876) almost immediately before Goldfaden founded the first professional Yiddish theater troupe.
The pogrom
s following the 1881 assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia
made Linetzky into an early Zionist
. His 1882 booklet America or Israel aligned him with the Hovevei Zion
movement, active in the Jewish colonization of Palestine
.
.
Other works included a book of poems Der Beser Marshalik (The Angry Master of Ceremonies, 1879).
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
author and early Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. Sol Liptzin
Sol Liptzin
Sol Liptzin was a scholar, author, and educator in Yiddish and German literature.- Life :Liptzin was born in Sataniv, Ukraine, and moved to New York at the age of nine. He graduated from City College of New York and did postgraduate work at the University of Berlin. He earned a master's degree and...
characterized him as "a master of the picturesque vitriolic phrase." [Liptzin, 1972, 46]
Life
He was raised a Hasidic JewHasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
in Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
, Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
(now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), but revolted against his violent schoolteachers and cabalist
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
father by aligning himself with the Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
, the Jewish Enlightenment. His father tried to offset this development by marrying him at the age of fourteen to a twelve year old girl; he drew her away from Hasidism and Kaballah, and his father forced him to divorce and remarry, this time to what Liptzin describes as "a deaf, moronic woman".
Linetzky ran away to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine, where he acquired a secular education. Attempting to leave for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to continue his education, he was stopped at the border and brought back, a virtual prisoner, to Vinitza. At 23, he managed again to escape, this time to the government-sponsored rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
nical academy at Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, where he developed a close friendship with Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden ; was an Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in the languages Yiddish and Hebrew, author of some 40 plays.Goldfaden is considered the father of the Jewish modern theatre.In 1876 he founded in...
.
Like Goldfaden and several other Yiddish-language writers of his generation, he came to prominence in the 1860s as a writer for Kol Mevasser
Kol Mevasser
Kol Mevasser , a Yiddish language periodical that appeared from October 11, 1862 into 1872, is considered by Sol Liptzin and others to be the most important early Yiddish-language periodical .Originally founded by Alexander Zederbaum as a supplement to his...
; like several others, he had first published in its Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
sister publication Hamelitz. With Goldfaden, he was later involved in several Yiddish language newspapers, including as joint editors of the short-lived weekly Yisrolik (July 1875–February 1876) almost immediately before Goldfaden founded the first professional Yiddish theater troupe.
The pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s following the 1881 assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
made Linetzky into an early Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. His 1882 booklet America or Israel aligned him with the Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion , also known as Hibbat Zion , refers to organizations that are now considered the forerunners and foundation-builders of modern Zionism....
movement, active in the Jewish colonization of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Works
His semi-autobiographical picaresque novel, Dos Polishe Yingel (The Polish Lad), an outright attack on the Hasidim, first appeared in installments in Kol Mevasser in 1867, and remained popular at least until the eve of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Other works included a book of poems Der Beser Marshalik (The Angry Master of Ceremonies, 1879).