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A Yiddish Literary Giant
Last fall, I read about a “lost” novel of the great Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem. For some unknown reason, this novel, Moshkeleh Ganev or Moshkeleh the Thief, was left out of Aleichem’s 28-volume collected works. First published in a Yiddish Warsaw newspaper in 1903, it was rediscovered by writer Curt Leviant, who translated Moshkeleh into English for the first time. A “lost” novel? I had to read it. I figured I could do with a bit of enlightenment. I was rewarded by this brief, entertaining read. The protagonist, Moshkeleh, is a horse thief from a long line of horse thieves, a real tough guy, always ready to fight, but also known to be a clever fellow. In Aleichem’s portrayal, he is a professional, not unlike a skilled lawyer or doctor. In the book, Moshkeleh is recruited by a tavern owner to bring back his daughter, Tsireleh, who had eloped to a monastery with a non-Jewish tax collector. The story is also a parody upon relationships between elites and the lower classes.
Universally known by his chosen pen name, Sholem Aleichem, the writer Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (1859-1916) was one of the foremost creators of Yiddish literature. Born in Russia, his stories of life in the shtetl, told with humor, are literary treasures today. The play and movie Fiddler on the Roof was inspired by Aleichem’s short stories about “Tevye the Dairyman.”
I decided to search in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History to see the local scope of Aleichem’s impact. It was overwhelming. “Sholem Aleichem” is cited 4,705 times in the Archive; 790 for “Sholom Aleichem.”
It should be noted that Sholem Aleichem is Yiddish for the Hebrew “Shalom Aleichem,” or may “Peace be upon you” or “Peace to you.” It can also
be spelled Sholom Aleichem, which is indeed the spelling used for the novel, Moshkeleh the Thief. Some of the citations in the Archive, therefore, refer to the greeting, not the author. Suffice it to say that Aleichem has a huge presence in the Archive. Over the years, there have been hundreds of events at men’s and women’s clubs, Hebrew schools, and synagogues and congregations featuring readings and plays from Aleichem. Readings of his work were aired on local Jewish radio shows. And, in 1926, the Shalom Aleichem Institute was established in Detroit and is still going strong, Mike Smith preserving the Yiddish language and
Alene and presenting educational programming Graham Landau Archivist Chair in honor of the writer. Aleichem’s work was featured in other ways. The Detroit Jewish Chronicle published several of Aleichem’s short stories in full: See “Passover in a Village,” in the April 15, 1927, Chronicle, for one example. The Yiddish Playhouse on Hastings Street in Detroit would present his plays (March 3, 1926, Chronicle). There are also many reports and discussions of Aleichem’s work and his place among the global literati in the Archive. Aleichem made several trips to America and moved permanently to New York City a few years before his death. He traveled to Detroit in May 1915. On his first visit to America, Aleichem was introduced to Mark Twain as the “Jewish Mark Twain.” Twain retorted, “No, I am the American Sholom Aleichem!” (Dec. 4, 1931, Chronicle). Sholem Aleichem was a literary giant. The Davidson Archive offers proof of his status.
plays from Aleichem. Readings of his work were aired on local Jewish radio preserving the Yiddish language and presenting educational programming Detroit Jewish Chronicle short stories in full: See “Passover in a Village,” in the April 15, 1927, Yiddish Playhouse on Hastings Street in Detroit would present his plays ). There are also many reports and discussions of Aleichem’s work and his place among
Aleichem made several trips to retorted, “No, I am the American Sholom Aleichem!” (Dec. 4, 1931,
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