7 poets, 15 original songs by Henri Oppenheim
Oppenheim Creates a Modern Soundtrack For the Evocative Yiddish Poems of Montreal’s Eastern European Immigrants
Karen Young, singer Henri Oppenheim, accordion / guitar / singer
Vanessa Marcoux, violin / mandolin Michael Emenau, percussion / bass / laptop
Vanessa Marcoux, violin / mandolin Michael Emenau, percussion / bass / laptop
Transposing the rich musical traditions of the old world into the new, Tur Malka, a new song cycle based on 20th Century Yiddish poetry, is the newest project from award-winning multi-instrumentalist and composer, Henri Oppenheim. Illuminating 15 poems from seven extraordinary Yiddish writers, all of whom began their new lives in Montreal, Tur Malka is an inspiring musical journey merging past and present. Oppenheim is the founder and director of the internationally-acclaimed Klezmer ensemble Magillah, which Le Devoir calls “spectacular ... jubilant, joyous, and full of emotions.”
A Sacred Mountain
Poignant, sensuous, sorrowful, and hopeful, the poems of Montreal’s Yiddish-speaking immigrants tell a story of lives uprooted, the struggle for acceptance, and dreams fulfilled. They came to Montreal, a city built around a mountain – Tur Malka, a phrase from the Talmud, means “Sacred Mountain” – to escape war, search for justice and to build a better life. Settling in this new and unfamiliar land, the poets J.I.Segal, Melekh Ravitch, Ida Maze, Chava Rosenfarb, Rokhl Korn, A.M Klein, and Noah J. Gotlib, all left an indelible imprint that would forever change Montreal, Canada and the world.
Connection and Celebration
Leader of the renowned ensembles Kleztory and Magillah, composer Henri Oppenheim’s own family came from Lodz – as did Rosenfarb’s – passing through Kazakhstan and Paris before settling in Montreal. For him, the project is “a celebration – Tur Malka gives this wonderful poetry a new life.” In immersing himself in these poems, Oppenheim became fascinated by the depth and dynamism of the Jewish culture in Montreal in the mid-20th Century. Through the project, Oppenheim aims to convey a sense of this rich Montreal history, contributing to the revival of a significant aspect of Yiddish culture in Canada, as well as the Yiddish language itself, for a new generation. And while the poems in Tur Malka were all written in Montreal, says Oppenheim, “they transcend time and place.”
A Window into Montreal’s History
The writers arrived in Montreal in waves – after the Pogroms began to ravage a cherished way of life in Russia, and when World Wars I and II cruelly tore them from their homelands. Some first landed in the United States or elsewhere in Canada but each of the poets represented in Tur Malka eventually made their way to Montreal. These new immigrants loved their adopted home and greatly contributed to the development of the city and its opening to the world as a whole, bringing their cultural activism and fierce sense of social justice. Tur Malka traces the path of these immigrants, uprooted from Eastern Europe to their new life in their adopted homeland, illustrating a palette of intense human emotions. Most importantly, it is about their journey through a universal human experience.
The Music
In Tur Malka, Henri Oppenheim uses old world inspiration to create a distinctly contemporary sound. We hear both the great tradition of Romantic Jewish violin (Vanessa Marcoux) and the raw, gypsy style of the great Klezmer musicians. Modern compositional techniques bring cinematic ambiances and innovative rhythmic techniques (Michael Emenau : percussion / MIDI vibraphone / laptop). The songs have been composed with the voice of Karen Young in mind. Young – acclaimed in genres from Baroque to jazz – brings her unique soulfulness and sensitivity to express the texts in Yiddish, as well as in English and in French.
Poignant, sensuous, sorrowful, and hopeful, the poems of Montreal’s Yiddish-speaking immigrants tell a story of lives uprooted, the struggle for acceptance, and dreams fulfilled. They came to Montreal, a city built around a mountain – Tur Malka, a phrase from the Talmud, means “Sacred Mountain” – to escape war, search for justice and to build a better life. Settling in this new and unfamiliar land, the poets J.I.Segal, Melekh Ravitch, Ida Maze, Chava Rosenfarb, Rokhl Korn, A.M Klein, and Noah J. Gotlib, all left an indelible imprint that would forever change Montreal, Canada and the world.
Connection and Celebration
Leader of the renowned ensembles Kleztory and Magillah, composer Henri Oppenheim’s own family came from Lodz – as did Rosenfarb’s – passing through Kazakhstan and Paris before settling in Montreal. For him, the project is “a celebration – Tur Malka gives this wonderful poetry a new life.” In immersing himself in these poems, Oppenheim became fascinated by the depth and dynamism of the Jewish culture in Montreal in the mid-20th Century. Through the project, Oppenheim aims to convey a sense of this rich Montreal history, contributing to the revival of a significant aspect of Yiddish culture in Canada, as well as the Yiddish language itself, for a new generation. And while the poems in Tur Malka were all written in Montreal, says Oppenheim, “they transcend time and place.”
A Window into Montreal’s History
The writers arrived in Montreal in waves – after the Pogroms began to ravage a cherished way of life in Russia, and when World Wars I and II cruelly tore them from their homelands. Some first landed in the United States or elsewhere in Canada but each of the poets represented in Tur Malka eventually made their way to Montreal. These new immigrants loved their adopted home and greatly contributed to the development of the city and its opening to the world as a whole, bringing their cultural activism and fierce sense of social justice. Tur Malka traces the path of these immigrants, uprooted from Eastern Europe to their new life in their adopted homeland, illustrating a palette of intense human emotions. Most importantly, it is about their journey through a universal human experience.
The Music
In Tur Malka, Henri Oppenheim uses old world inspiration to create a distinctly contemporary sound. We hear both the great tradition of Romantic Jewish violin (Vanessa Marcoux) and the raw, gypsy style of the great Klezmer musicians. Modern compositional techniques bring cinematic ambiances and innovative rhythmic techniques (Michael Emenau : percussion / MIDI vibraphone / laptop). The songs have been composed with the voice of Karen Young in mind. Young – acclaimed in genres from Baroque to jazz – brings her unique soulfulness and sensitivity to express the texts in Yiddish, as well as in English and in French.
Tur Malka ... in 3 forms
1
The core version of Tur Malka features the quartet of Henri Oppenheim, Karen Young, Vanessa Marcoux and Michael Emenau. Planned performances include a tour of 11 venues for Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM en tournée) starting in September 2014, along with a performance at Montreal’s historic Rialto Theatre called Tur Malka: Poètes yiddish du Québec en musique.
A CD recording is also planned to be released in late summer / early fall of 2014
2
On June 10, 2014 at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique, Tur Malka will be premiered in a version with chamber orchestra. Henri Oppenheim, Karen Young, and Vanessa Marcoux are joined by clarinetist Simon Aldrich, for a performance with the McGill Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Boris Brott.
3
A large-scale multi-media presentation of the songs of Tur Malka, and its poets, featuring narration, video and theatrical direction is in the planning stages for spring/summer 2015.
The core version of Tur Malka features the quartet of Henri Oppenheim, Karen Young, Vanessa Marcoux and Michael Emenau. Planned performances include a tour of 11 venues for Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM en tournée) starting in September 2014, along with a performance at Montreal’s historic Rialto Theatre called Tur Malka: Poètes yiddish du Québec en musique.
A CD recording is also planned to be released in late summer / early fall of 2014
2
On June 10, 2014 at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique, Tur Malka will be premiered in a version with chamber orchestra. Henri Oppenheim, Karen Young, and Vanessa Marcoux are joined by clarinetist Simon Aldrich, for a performance with the McGill Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Boris Brott.
3
A large-scale multi-media presentation of the songs of Tur Malka, and its poets, featuring narration, video and theatrical direction is in the planning stages for spring/summer 2015.
the artists
Henri Oppenheim : Composer, accordion, guitar, percussion
Henri Oppenheim is a composer and accordionist from Paris and now Montreal. A former researcher in mathematics, Henri studied composition and orchestration at McGill University. The newest recording from his band Magillah, Fotagrafie, was a finalist for Quebec’s Prix Opus in 2013. As an accordionist, he directed the Montreal ensemble Kleztory, producing, between 2002 and 2012, over 300 concerts in Canada, the United States, South-America, China and Europe, including concerts with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre symphonique de Québec and with I Musici de Montréal, including a recording for the British classical label Chandos. A multi-instrumentalist, Henri has engaged in numerous artistic collaborations as a composer, arranger, musical director, accordionist, percussionist and producer, primarily in the fields of Jewish music and francophone song. He regularly gives seminars about Klezmer and Yiddish music.
Henri Oppenheim is a composer and accordionist from Paris and now Montreal. A former researcher in mathematics, Henri studied composition and orchestration at McGill University. The newest recording from his band Magillah, Fotagrafie, was a finalist for Quebec’s Prix Opus in 2013. As an accordionist, he directed the Montreal ensemble Kleztory, producing, between 2002 and 2012, over 300 concerts in Canada, the United States, South-America, China and Europe, including concerts with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre symphonique de Québec and with I Musici de Montréal, including a recording for the British classical label Chandos. A multi-instrumentalist, Henri has engaged in numerous artistic collaborations as a composer, arranger, musical director, accordionist, percussionist and producer, primarily in the fields of Jewish music and francophone song. He regularly gives seminars about Klezmer and Yiddish music.
Karen Young : Singer
Karen Young has been celebrated across North America principally as a jazz artist; she is best known for the many years she performed in a duo with bassist Michel Donato. Her musical activities range from folk to jazz, from early music to the avant-garde. She has performed with Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, the award-winning composer and performer, Jean Derome, in his group La Confiture de Gagaku, the folk group, the Bug Alley Band, and with the great jazz violinist Helmut Lipsky. Said The Montreal Gazette: “The range of her voice appears to have no limit, and her penchant for changes of rhythm and atmosphere is fascinating. She uses her voice like an instrument; she vies with each of her musicians, phrase after phrase. She braces each note, playing with her vocal chords like they were guitar strings. Karen Young goes through high and melancholic notes with ease and passion. With her refined style, she is like a great Lady of Song before her time.”
Karen Young has been celebrated across North America principally as a jazz artist; she is best known for the many years she performed in a duo with bassist Michel Donato. Her musical activities range from folk to jazz, from early music to the avant-garde. She has performed with Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, the award-winning composer and performer, Jean Derome, in his group La Confiture de Gagaku, the folk group, the Bug Alley Band, and with the great jazz violinist Helmut Lipsky. Said The Montreal Gazette: “The range of her voice appears to have no limit, and her penchant for changes of rhythm and atmosphere is fascinating. She uses her voice like an instrument; she vies with each of her musicians, phrase after phrase. She braces each note, playing with her vocal chords like they were guitar strings. Karen Young goes through high and melancholic notes with ease and passion. With her refined style, she is like a great Lady of Song before her time.”
Vanessa Marcoux : Violin
Violinist Vanessa Marcoux performs regularly as a soloist, in chamber music, as well as with orchestras in styles including classical, contemporary and world music. She is also interested in musical improvisation. Marcoux holds a BA in violin performance from McGill University as well as a baccalauréat in composition from the University of Montreal. Her studies have continued in France, Germany as well as Canada. Her diverse interests and musical experiences are part of a life project to explore in depth the role of her instrument in the modern age..
Violinist Vanessa Marcoux performs regularly as a soloist, in chamber music, as well as with orchestras in styles including classical, contemporary and world music. She is also interested in musical improvisation. Marcoux holds a BA in violin performance from McGill University as well as a baccalauréat in composition from the University of Montreal. Her studies have continued in France, Germany as well as Canada. Her diverse interests and musical experiences are part of a life project to explore in depth the role of her instrument in the modern age..
Michael Emenau : Laptop, Vibraphone, Percussion
A musician, composer, producer, and remixer, Michael Emenau (also known as MNO) has been heard in genres as diverse as Baroque, hardcore electronica, and everything in between, for over 20 years throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. He began his professional career in Canada as a classical musician after graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor of Classical Music Performance. Early in his 6 year spell playing in orchestras, MNO crossed over to jazz, a transition that brought him to Asia. While living in Japan, MNO honed his skills as a studio musician, playing
and recording extensively in electro-jazz, dance and other electronic-oriented music. His work can be found on over 50 CD’s that he recorded as a studio/session mallet player for Sony Records, Japan. MNO is the vibraphonist for the Japanese Acid jazz group UFO on the CD Red, Hot, and Cool which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. MNO has also been a member of multiple ensembles covering a wide range of music including jazz, funk, Brazilian, Classical Japanese, Arabic, Indian and Caribbean that performed throughout Japan. Today, MNO works frequently as an Electronic remixer for San Francisco-based labels 6 Degrees Records and Rock River Music. He is an adjunct professor at Dubspot Electronic Music School based in Manhattan
A musician, composer, producer, and remixer, Michael Emenau (also known as MNO) has been heard in genres as diverse as Baroque, hardcore electronica, and everything in between, for over 20 years throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. He began his professional career in Canada as a classical musician after graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor of Classical Music Performance. Early in his 6 year spell playing in orchestras, MNO crossed over to jazz, a transition that brought him to Asia. While living in Japan, MNO honed his skills as a studio musician, playing
and recording extensively in electro-jazz, dance and other electronic-oriented music. His work can be found on over 50 CD’s that he recorded as a studio/session mallet player for Sony Records, Japan. MNO is the vibraphonist for the Japanese Acid jazz group UFO on the CD Red, Hot, and Cool which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. MNO has also been a member of multiple ensembles covering a wide range of music including jazz, funk, Brazilian, Classical Japanese, Arabic, Indian and Caribbean that performed throughout Japan. Today, MNO works frequently as an Electronic remixer for San Francisco-based labels 6 Degrees Records and Rock River Music. He is an adjunct professor at Dubspot Electronic Music School based in Manhattan
the poets
Chava Rosenfarb (1923-2011)
One of the most important Yiddish novelists and writers of the second half of the twentieth century, Chava Rosenfarb was a survivor of the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, and Bergen Belsen. As a child in Lodz, Poland, she was encouraged to write by her father. In 1939, when she was 16, the Nazis invaded Poland, and she and her family were incarcerated, along with the rest of the Jewish population of Lodz in the Lodz ghetto. During those days of constant terror, she wrote about the ongoing struggle to endure— writings she lost and later recreated from memory. In 1944, Chava and her family were transported to Auschwitz and later to Bergen Belsen, before being liberated by British forces in 1945. After spending several years homeless and stateless in Europe, she came to Canada in 1950 and settled in Montreal. In Canada, Rosenfarb quickly began to publish multiple collections of poetry and a play, her writings culminating in 1972 with a three-volume epic chronicling the destruction of the Jewish community of Lodz during the Second World War. Der boim fun lebn (The Tree of Life) was immediately hailed as a masterpiece, winning major prizes in several countries.
One of the most important Yiddish novelists and writers of the second half of the twentieth century, Chava Rosenfarb was a survivor of the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, and Bergen Belsen. As a child in Lodz, Poland, she was encouraged to write by her father. In 1939, when she was 16, the Nazis invaded Poland, and she and her family were incarcerated, along with the rest of the Jewish population of Lodz in the Lodz ghetto. During those days of constant terror, she wrote about the ongoing struggle to endure— writings she lost and later recreated from memory. In 1944, Chava and her family were transported to Auschwitz and later to Bergen Belsen, before being liberated by British forces in 1945. After spending several years homeless and stateless in Europe, she came to Canada in 1950 and settled in Montreal. In Canada, Rosenfarb quickly began to publish multiple collections of poetry and a play, her writings culminating in 1972 with a three-volume epic chronicling the destruction of the Jewish community of Lodz during the Second World War. Der boim fun lebn (The Tree of Life) was immediately hailed as a masterpiece, winning major prizes in several countries.
J.I. Segal (1896-1954)
From an impoverished childhood in the shtetl of Korets (Ukraine), Segal arrived in Montreal at the age of 15 in 1911, assisted in his immigration by two older siblings, both of whom later published their own poetry. Working as a stitcher of pants pockets in a clothing factory, Segal looked to poetry as an escape from tedium and loneliness. Segal was an active member of the Jewish community and a stalwart of Yiddish cultural life in Montreal. He found an outlet for his craft through working for the Keneder Odler and published his first collection of Yiddish poetry, Fun mayn velt, in 1918. In total, Segal created 10 volumes of poetry plus two more published posthumously. His work continues to influence Jewish and non-Jewish writers, his words a reflection of the struggle between old world and new world, between the language of the folk and the prayer of the religious. In 1968, the Montreal Jewish Public Library began awarding the J.I. Segal Prize “to honor and perpetuate the memory of the great Yiddish-Canadian poet, and to foster Jewish cultural creativity in Canada.”
From an impoverished childhood in the shtetl of Korets (Ukraine), Segal arrived in Montreal at the age of 15 in 1911, assisted in his immigration by two older siblings, both of whom later published their own poetry. Working as a stitcher of pants pockets in a clothing factory, Segal looked to poetry as an escape from tedium and loneliness. Segal was an active member of the Jewish community and a stalwart of Yiddish cultural life in Montreal. He found an outlet for his craft through working for the Keneder Odler and published his first collection of Yiddish poetry, Fun mayn velt, in 1918. In total, Segal created 10 volumes of poetry plus two more published posthumously. His work continues to influence Jewish and non-Jewish writers, his words a reflection of the struggle between old world and new world, between the language of the folk and the prayer of the religious. In 1968, the Montreal Jewish Public Library began awarding the J.I. Segal Prize “to honor and perpetuate the memory of the great Yiddish-Canadian poet, and to foster Jewish cultural creativity in Canada.”
Ida Maze (1893-1962)
Born in Olgi, near Minsk, White Russia in 1898, Ida Maze immigrated to the United States in 1907, settling in Montreal in 1908. Maze began her literary activities with the writing of lyric poetry but much of her published work consists of poems for children. Maze was also a writer of essays and stories that appeared in numerous Yiddish journals and newspapers around the world. She was a leader of the vibrant Yiddish cultural activities in Montreal. Known as "Mother to Yiddish Poets,” Maze is remembered for the kind, sustaining encouragement she provided at her literary "salons." Struggling poets, authors, and artists as well as already- established names of the Yiddish literary world were regularly found at Maze's apartment on Esplanade Avenue, where they would critique and discuss each other's work and the state of literature.
Born in Olgi, near Minsk, White Russia in 1898, Ida Maze immigrated to the United States in 1907, settling in Montreal in 1908. Maze began her literary activities with the writing of lyric poetry but much of her published work consists of poems for children. Maze was also a writer of essays and stories that appeared in numerous Yiddish journals and newspapers around the world. She was a leader of the vibrant Yiddish cultural activities in Montreal. Known as "Mother to Yiddish Poets,” Maze is remembered for the kind, sustaining encouragement she provided at her literary "salons." Struggling poets, authors, and artists as well as already- established names of the Yiddish literary world were regularly found at Maze's apartment on Esplanade Avenue, where they would critique and discuss each other's work and the state of literature.
Melekh Ravitch (1893–1976)
Yiddish poet, essayist, playwright, and cultural activist Melekh Ravitch was born in Radymno, eastern Galicia where he received a secular general education as well as a limited traditional Jewish education. He lived in Lemberg and Vienna, where he worked in a bank, and during World War I served in the army. An early work, Shpinoza, published in 1918, exhibited his predilection for lengthy poetic genres, an interest in philosophical themes, and a stress on meditative elements. The book Nakete lider (Naked Poems, 1921) signaled Ravitch’s turn toward modernism in its expressionist form. Ravitch created a poetic persona who is consciously intellectual, socially engaged, and who speaks out against the accepted truths of bourgeois society. After settling in Warsaw, Ravitch served as executive secretary of the Association of Jewish Writers and Journalists, the central address for Yiddish literature in Poland, from 1924-34. Later he edited the literature page of the Bundist daily Folks-tsaytung, using his position to encourage young Yiddish writers. From the 1930s on, Ravitch lived in Australia, Argentina, and Mexico, until finally settling in Montreal. A comprehensive anthology of his work, Di lider fun mayne lider (The Poems of My Poems), was published in 1954.
Yiddish poet, essayist, playwright, and cultural activist Melekh Ravitch was born in Radymno, eastern Galicia where he received a secular general education as well as a limited traditional Jewish education. He lived in Lemberg and Vienna, where he worked in a bank, and during World War I served in the army. An early work, Shpinoza, published in 1918, exhibited his predilection for lengthy poetic genres, an interest in philosophical themes, and a stress on meditative elements. The book Nakete lider (Naked Poems, 1921) signaled Ravitch’s turn toward modernism in its expressionist form. Ravitch created a poetic persona who is consciously intellectual, socially engaged, and who speaks out against the accepted truths of bourgeois society. After settling in Warsaw, Ravitch served as executive secretary of the Association of Jewish Writers and Journalists, the central address for Yiddish literature in Poland, from 1924-34. Later he edited the literature page of the Bundist daily Folks-tsaytung, using his position to encourage young Yiddish writers. From the 1930s on, Ravitch lived in Australia, Argentina, and Mexico, until finally settling in Montreal. A comprehensive anthology of his work, Di lider fun mayne lider (The Poems of My Poems), was published in 1954.
Rokhl Korn (1898–1982)
Raised on a farming estate in eastern Galicia (Poland/Ukraine), Rokhl Korn, had an early start as a writer in the Polish language. Korn and her family fled to Vienna when World War I broke out, returning to Przemyśl after the war, where they continued to work their farm until 1941. The upheavals of war, and the destruction of Jewish life were shocking to Korn, and she turned away from Polish and began to publish widely in Yiddish. She contributed to Yiddish newspapers, journals, and magazines up to 1941 and had her best writings published in two poetry collections, Dorf (Village; 1928) and Royter mon (Red Poppies; 1937), as well as in a collection of short stories, Erd (Earth; 1936). Critics commented on her ability to take the commonplace of human experience and make it extraordinary through the use of sensual imagery. In 1941, Korn traveled thousands of miles to the east to escape the Nazis, composing poems that lamented the loss of her people and her culture. Later Korn called the poems of this period the products of her navenad (“wandering”) years. In 1949, after learning that her family had died, Korn moved to Montreal with her daughter.
Raised on a farming estate in eastern Galicia (Poland/Ukraine), Rokhl Korn, had an early start as a writer in the Polish language. Korn and her family fled to Vienna when World War I broke out, returning to Przemyśl after the war, where they continued to work their farm until 1941. The upheavals of war, and the destruction of Jewish life were shocking to Korn, and she turned away from Polish and began to publish widely in Yiddish. She contributed to Yiddish newspapers, journals, and magazines up to 1941 and had her best writings published in two poetry collections, Dorf (Village; 1928) and Royter mon (Red Poppies; 1937), as well as in a collection of short stories, Erd (Earth; 1936). Critics commented on her ability to take the commonplace of human experience and make it extraordinary through the use of sensual imagery. In 1941, Korn traveled thousands of miles to the east to escape the Nazis, composing poems that lamented the loss of her people and her culture. Later Korn called the poems of this period the products of her navenad (“wandering”) years. In 1949, after learning that her family had died, Korn moved to Montreal with her daughter.
Abraham Moses Klein (1909-1972)
Born in Ratno, Ukraine and raised in the working-class Jewish immigrant district of Montreal, Abraham Moses Klein was one of Canada's greatest poets and a leading figure in Jewish-Canadian culture. He studied classics and political science at McGill and as a student began to publish poetry and prose in Canadian and American periodicals. An excellent speaker and debater, he became active as a writer, editor and educator in the Zionist youth organization Young Judaea. A graduate of the Université de Montréal law school, Klein practiced law until his retirement in 1956. Editor and principal columnist of the weekly Canadian Jewish Chronicle, he worked as a ghostwriter and public-relations consultant for Samuel Bronfman. Much of Klein's verse (Hath Not a Jew, 1940; Poems, 1944) was infused with Jewish images and ideas. In The Hitleriad (1944) he vented his rage against the Nazis. His last and finest collection, The Rocking Chair and Other Poems (1948), is a satirical portrayal of Québec. Klein’s work is remarkable for its linguistic exuberance, wit, learning and moral fervour. Klein’s writings articulate the feelings of a generation that witnessed the destruction of European Jewry and the fulfilment of the Zionist dream.
Born in Ratno, Ukraine and raised in the working-class Jewish immigrant district of Montreal, Abraham Moses Klein was one of Canada's greatest poets and a leading figure in Jewish-Canadian culture. He studied classics and political science at McGill and as a student began to publish poetry and prose in Canadian and American periodicals. An excellent speaker and debater, he became active as a writer, editor and educator in the Zionist youth organization Young Judaea. A graduate of the Université de Montréal law school, Klein practiced law until his retirement in 1956. Editor and principal columnist of the weekly Canadian Jewish Chronicle, he worked as a ghostwriter and public-relations consultant for Samuel Bronfman. Much of Klein's verse (Hath Not a Jew, 1940; Poems, 1944) was infused with Jewish images and ideas. In The Hitleriad (1944) he vented his rage against the Nazis. His last and finest collection, The Rocking Chair and Other Poems (1948), is a satirical portrayal of Québec. Klein’s work is remarkable for its linguistic exuberance, wit, learning and moral fervour. Klein’s writings articulate the feelings of a generation that witnessed the destruction of European Jewry and the fulfilment of the Zionist dream.
Noah Isaac Gotlib (1901-1967)
Born in Kovno, Lithuania, Noah Gotlib is remembered as a talented poet, writer and journalist, an individual who spoke to many through his multitude of work. Gotlib, whose father was the head of a Hassidic yeshiva, was educated in both traditional Jewish and secular schools. He also studied for and received his teaching diploma from a Soviet Normal School. Gotlib's earliest poetry was in Hebrew but he soon took to writing in Yiddish. This writing included lyric poetry and prose, essays, literary criticism and articles. His immigration to Montreal in 1930 was helped in part by the sponsorship of a man he had never met but who admired Gotlib's poetry: the poet and brother of Yaakov Zipper, Sholem Shtern. Gotlib was quickly engrossed in the booming literary world of Yiddish Montreal by becoming a regular contributor to the Keneder Odler. The newspaper printed his articles as well as a semi-daily journal published under the pseudonym "H. Yudelevitch". His first collection of poetry was published in 1931 in Montreal and thereafter Gotlib published books of poetry almost continuously until his death in 1967.
Born in Kovno, Lithuania, Noah Gotlib is remembered as a talented poet, writer and journalist, an individual who spoke to many through his multitude of work. Gotlib, whose father was the head of a Hassidic yeshiva, was educated in both traditional Jewish and secular schools. He also studied for and received his teaching diploma from a Soviet Normal School. Gotlib's earliest poetry was in Hebrew but he soon took to writing in Yiddish. This writing included lyric poetry and prose, essays, literary criticism and articles. His immigration to Montreal in 1930 was helped in part by the sponsorship of a man he had never met but who admired Gotlib's poetry: the poet and brother of Yaakov Zipper, Sholem Shtern. Gotlib was quickly engrossed in the booming literary world of Yiddish Montreal by becoming a regular contributor to the Keneder Odler. The newspaper printed his articles as well as a semi-daily journal published under the pseudonym "H. Yudelevitch". His first collection of poetry was published in 1931 in Montreal and thereafter Gotlib published books of poetry almost continuously until his death in 1967.