Image Source: YIVO Encyclopedia

Translation:

“Mr. A. Liessin, 

New York

Vilnius, December 25, 1928

 

Very distinguished friend:–

 

You are well informed more or less about the activity of the Yiddish Scholarly Institute, and therefore I will save you an excessive writing with introduction. I will ask you directly to help us in our work.

One of our branches collects manuscripts, autographs and so forth, from old and new authors. We already have a hundred of such pieces, all precious, initially from old Hasidic literary works, from Moishe Mantefiore’s original writing, Taks Nardoys and Gide-Man’s letters and ending with works from Jewish writers, bigger and smaller. We know, however, that you have accumulated from your activity as writers and editors, many works, which you govern as rarities: We had, not long, a small part from your publication from thoughtful people’s letters. Therefore we ask you, that you should be so friendly, to transmit to the archive all that you can spare from your private collection. We will say to you a great thanks.

Now number two. Our archive also collects print sources, and therefore it has a lot more before from writers. We already have four thousand volumes from magazines alone, not only repeats (our systematic work began first from 1926; from the beginning we must take what it releases). Even first issues from old newspapers and magazines are important for us, – Complete issues are only more welcome. Also non-periodical publications: leaflets, posters, calls to chant from the torah, banquet journals, all is suitable to us. We ask you to send us only what you can spare. No necessary things will be missed by us: there are only important and more important.

It may interest you to hear, by the occasion, that we began to put together an entire bibliography of all the works that were printed in the “Tsukunft” since the magazine began to go out. We have shaved classes to get America a full series from the journal.

 

We look out for your friendly reply,

With much respect, 

M. Weinreich”

 

The source is a letter from Max Weinreich in Vilnius to Abraham Liessin in New York. Weinreich was born in 1894 in Kuldiga, Latvia, to a German speaking family, but he displayed an interest in Yiddish at a young age. He went on to study Yiddish in university, and to write his dissertation about the language. Weinreich was primarily a linguist and author, but he wrote about varied subjects from psychology to economics to literature to theater. He wrote for the well-known Yiddish newspaper, “Forvertz,” under the pseudonym of “Sore Brener.” He did not found the “Yiddisher Visnshaftlekher Institute” or the Yiddish Scholarly Institute, in Vilnius– it was founded by Nokhem Shtif– but he went on to be its leader nonetheless. Before finding a more permanent location, the offices of the institute were in Weinreich’s apartment. His name may sound familiar to Columbia Yiddish students, because his son, Uriel Weinreich, wrote College Yiddish, one of the textbooks for instruction at the school.

Abraham Liessin was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1872. He was a poet, editor, and Socialist activist. He fled Europe for New York because of his activism, where he went on to also write for “Forvertz,” and to become the editor for “Di Tsukunft” or “The Future” a magazine of Yiddish culture and literature. His Socialist activism continued in New York, where he individuated himself from other activists, who were mostly areligious, by preaching a strong connection between biblical figures and Socialist principles.

In the letter, Weinreich writes to Liessen, essentially asking if he has any literary resources to spare to help bolster the institute in Vilnius.

Sources

“Abraham Liessin.” Jewish Virtual Library.

Glasser, Paul. “Weinreich, Max.” YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe 4 November 2010. 8 December 2019.