Ephraim E. Lisitzky

Ephraim Eliyahu Lisitzky (; 31 January 1885 – 25 June 1962) was an American Hebrew poet, writer, and educator.

Biography Born in Minsk in 1885, Lisitzky spent his childhood in Slutzk before moving to Boston with his father in 1900. He spent a brief time studying at the Rabbi Yitzḥak Elḥanan Yeshiva, and received a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Marquette University. He afterward spent years teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies in various locations in the United States and Canada. In 1918, he was appointed head of the Communal Hebrew School in New Orleans, where he remained until his retirement.

Lisitzky was a member of the Zionist Organization of America and the Histradut Ivrit. Still, despite his early plans to emigrate to Israel, Lisitzky only visited there twice and remained ambivalent about the prospect throughout his life.

He died in New Orleans in 1962 after a long illness.

Work Lisitzky is credited with making significant contributions to the representation of marginalized groups in Hebrew literature. He is perhaps best known for his epic poem Medurot do'akhot ('Dying Campfires', 1937), written in unrhymed trochaic tetrameter, which is based on Native American legends. His collection of poems Be'oholey Kush ('In the Tents of Cush', 1953) draws inspiration from African-American folktales and spirituals.

In addition to his poetry, Lisitzky also wrote a number of articles on literature and educational matters in the Hebrew press, which were collected in his book, Bi-shevilei ḥayyim ve-sifrut ('In the Paths of Life and Literature', 1961). He is also the only American Hebrew poet to have written an autobiography, which was published under the title Eleh toldot Adam ('These Are the Generations of Adam', 1959). This was translated into English under the title In the Grip of Cross Currents.

As an educator at Communal Hebrew School in New Orleans, which he founded, Lisitzky's primary goal was to make his students fluent in spoken and written Hebrew. His approach involved total immersion in Hebrew, avoiding any other languages being spoke in his classes, including English. He taught the Torah both in the original Hebrew and as translated into other Hebrew words.

Honours He was awarded honorary doctorates from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1949 and the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1960 for his literary achievements.

Selected bibliography

Translation of Eleh toldot adam into English.

"Yulius Keisar" . In