Velvel Zbarjer

Welwel or Wölwel Zbarzer (also: Zbarazer, Zbarzher or Zbarascher; * 1826 in Zbaraz, Galicia, † June 2, 1883 in Constantine Opel ) was actually called (Benjamin ) Wolf Ehrenkranz. He was a popular Hebrew and Yiddish poet and folk singer, " as a poet and satirist, one of the foremost poets of the East European Jewry. "

Ehrenkranz was the son of Schochet, received a thorough Talmudic education and distinguished himself from an early age by sparkling wit from.

At age 19, he was married, but was not able to a quiet sedentary life, but separated from his wife and led, always in search of an economic livelihood, a restless, wandering life traveling through Romania, South Russia and Galicia. He hired himself alternately as a Hebrew teacher or writing assistant and also tried his luck for a while with all kinds of stores.

Meanwhile, he wrote continuously poems to which he himself composed melodies. Finally he wore as a modern " Badchen " at celebrations, especially weddings, in domestic circles or in pubs before his songs, which soon gained a lot of popularity.

1856 appeared in Iasi his first, nor purely Hebrew songs collection Chason l' moed. When his lyrical masterpiece has become the four-volume collection of Hebrew and Yiddish songs Makkel - Noam ( " Staff of gentleness ", Lviv 1869-1878 ) preserved, including the satirical poem entitled " God's bankruptcy ", as " one of the most excellent satires of world literature " is true. Another well-known Yiddish reflection poem is "The Nightingale ": The action of the bird in I - shape, having to sing sweet songs to the people in spite of captivity in the cage in order to earn his food reflects Ehrenkranzens own destiny. The Yiddish works from this collection appeared with Latin letters transcribed in 1902 in Braila, edited by J. Sotek.

Ehrenkranzens satirical work published in 1869 under the title Makkel Chowlim ( " Staff of austerity "). He also published in Smolenskins magazine " Hashachar " and so came to Vienna. There he continued to contribute in coffee houses and restaurants of his songs before, but had to endure many humiliations and earn a living in great poverty. From there he moved on to Constantinople Opel, where he lived to an even greater misery, is married again and soon died.

In contrast to Berl Broder Welwel was Zbarazer supporters of Haskalah and represented the classic objectives: promotion of Hebrew, fight for education, against ignorance and obscurantism, especially against miracles Rabbis and Hasidim.

The Judeo- Scientific Institute Vilnius 1927 gave a portion of his correspondence out (ed. Bernhard Wachstein ).

Literature (selection )

• Max Weissberg: Wölwel Zbarażer. The minstrels of the Galician- Jewish humanism. In: Reports on Jewish folklore = Releases the Society for Jewish Folk 12, 1909, ZDB - ID 2256206-0, pp. 65-69 and 103-118
• Travel, leksikon fun of Yiddish literature un press. Warsaw 1914, pp. 435-439
• Article Ehrenkranz, Benjamin Wolf. In: S. Wininger: Great Jewish national - biography with more than 8000 biographies of well-known Jewish men and women of all ages and countries. Volume 2: Dafiera - Harden. Cernǎuţi 1927, pp. 103-104
• Michael Berkowicz: Article Ehrenkranz, Wolf. In: Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2: D - H. Berlin 1927, Sp 278f.
• Sol Liptzin: A History of Yiddish Literature. New York NY 1972, ISBN 0-8246-0124-6
• Israil Bercovici: O Suta de ani de teatru în România evreiesc. 2nd edition, Bucharest 1998, ISBN 973-98-2722-5 ( Colecţia Sinteze )