David Apotheker
Born(1855-08-28)28 August 1855
Ponevezh, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire
Died23 October 1911(1911-10-23) (aged 56)
New York City, United States
Pen nameDer hinkediger shlimazl (Yiddish: דער הינקעדיגער שלימזל)[1]
LanguageYiddish, Hebrew

David Apotheker (Yiddish: דוד אַפּאָטהעקער; 28 August 1855 – 23 October 1911) was a Lithuanian-born Yiddish and Hebrew humorist, poet, journalist, and printer.

Biography

Apotheker born in Ponevezh, Kovno Governorate, the son of a prominent Maskil, Jacob Apotheker.[2] He was orphaned at a young age, and in 1868 went to Vilkomir to study under the guidance of Moses Loeb Lilienblum. He later was an auditor at Kiev University.

In 1877 Apotheker became involved in the nihilist movement, and was arrested in Kiev in 1879 for revolutionary activities.[3] He fled to Czernowitz, then the capital of Bukovina, where he opened a book store,[4] wrote for Hebrew and Yiddish papers, and published his first book, Ha-Nevel ('The Harp'), containing Hebrew and Yiddish poems (1881).[5]

He emigrated to the United States in 1888, where he unsuccessfully tried to found a communist colony.[4] He thereafter founded a women's clothing store in Brownsville, Brooklyn, joined the local anarchist movement, and became a prolific contributor to the Yiddish press. In 1895 he moved to Philadelphia, where he became a printer and edited Die Gegenwart, a short-lived Yiddish weekly.[6][7][8]

He died in Brooklyn, New York on October 23, 1911.

Family

Apotheker married his wife Celia (nee Schoolman) in 1896 in Philadelphia.[8][9] They had a number of children: Engel (born 1891), Lizzy (born 1892), Anna (born 1895), Susana (born 1897), William (born 1900), and Lillian (born 1904).[10][11][12][13][14]

Selected publications

  • Ha-nevel [The Lyre] (in Hebrew and Yiddish). Czernowitz: Elias Heilpern. 1881.
  • Humoristishe shriften [Humorous Writings] (in Yiddish). Vol. 1. New York: Hebrew Publishing Company. 1910.
  • Humoristishe shriften [Humorous Writings] (in Yiddish). Vol. 2. New York: Hebrew Publishing Company. 1912.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gottheil, Richard; Beer, Moses (1902). "Apotheker, David". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 22.

  1. ↑ Bassin, Moshe, ed. (1917). Antologye: finf hundert yohr Idishe poezye [Anthology: Five Hundred Years of Yiddish Poetry] (in Yiddish). New York: Dos Idishe bukh. p. 228.
  2. ↑ "David Apotheker". Lives in the Yiddish Theatre: Short Biographies of Those Involved in the Yiddish Theatre as Described in Zalmen Zylbercweig's "Leksikon fun Yidishn teater". Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Marcus, Jacob Rader; Daniels, Judith M., eds. (1994). "Apotheker, David" (PDF). The Concise Dictionary of American Jewish Biography. Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Publishing. p. 19.
  4. 1 2 Gelber, N. M. (1958). "History of the Jews in Bukowina (1774–1914)". In Gold, Hugo (ed.). Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina. Vol. 1. Translated by Silverbush, Jerome. Tel Aviv: Olamenu. p. 58 – via JewishGen.
  5. ↑ Rubin, Ruth (2000). Voices of a People: The Story of Yiddish Folksong. University of Illinois Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-252-06918-5.
  6. ↑ Fogel, Joshua (18 August 2014). "Dovid (David) Apotheker". Yiddish Leksikon. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Boonin, Harry Davidow (1999). The Jewish Quarter of Philadelphia: A History and Guide, 1881–1930. Philadelphia: Jewish Walking Tours of Philadelphia. ISBN 978-0-9669884-0-6.
  8. 1 2 "David Apotheker. Census • United States Census, 1900". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "David Apotheker. Marriage • Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Engel Apotheker. Birth • New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Lillian Apothecker. Vital • Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Wm. Apotherker. Vital • Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Susana Apothecker. Birth • Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Annie Apothener. Birth • New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909". FamilySearch. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
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