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Urke Nachalnik

1897 – 1939

Polish gangster and writer

Writer Gangster
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About Urke Nachalnik

Lived 1897 – 1939 (aged 42). Urke Nachalnik was a Polish writer and gangster.

Urke Nachalnik (June, 1897 – November 11, 1939).

Itzchak Baruch Farbarowicz, better known by his literary name Urke Nachalnik, a Yeshiva boy who was born to a well to do Jewish family in Wizna, (a village near the town of Łomża, Poland), became a criminal and then a self made author and ended his life heroically on November 11 of 1939 as a leader of a small underground unit that hid Tora scrolls from destruction. The memoir of Calel Perechodnik claims that Nachalnik was among the first three victims at Otwock: he was forced to dig his own grave and then was shot along with Perechodnik's brother-in-law Wolf and Gershon Randoninski. They were buried in a Jewish cemetery and their remains were later exhumed.

His books and stories were published in Polish and Yiddish, his native tongue, and made into theater plays and serialized in newspapers.

Likewise, numerous books and articles about Polish gangsters before the Second World War include sections about Urke Nachalnik. A biographical film shown in the Discovery Historia TV channel was made about him.

Books Menshen on a morgen, Polish title: Ludzie bez jutra, Wydawnictwo Herkules, Warszawa 1938;

Życiorys własny przestępcy

Żywe grobowce, 1934.

Milosc przestępcy מיין לעבנסוועג : פון דער ישיבה און תפיסה - ביז צו דער ליטעראטור

אהבה ונקמה : רומן

Mayn lebensṿeg : fun der yeshive un tfise biz tsu der liṭeraṭur

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Important facts

Birth century
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Nationality

People in Urke Nachalnik's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Urke Nachalnik's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Urke Nachalnik?

Polish gangster and writer (1897-1939)

When was Urke Nachalnik born?

Urke Nachalnik was born on 1 June 1897 in Wizna.

When did Urke Nachalnik die?

Urke Nachalnik died on 11 November 1939 in Otwock.

What was Urke Nachalnik's occupation?

Urke Nachalnik was a writer and gangster.

What nationality was Urke Nachalnik?

Urke Nachalnik was Polish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Urke Nachalnik

· Wikidata: Q2904493

· DBpedia: Urke Nachalnik

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Urke Nachalnik. https://biography.guide/urke-nachalnik/

MLA: "Urke Nachalnik." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/urke-nachalnik/.

Chicago: "Urke Nachalnik." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/urke-nachalnik/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-26 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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