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Elias Gilner Dead at 87

February 5, 1976
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Elias Gilner, an author on Jewish subjects and one of the founders of the Haganah, died Monday at the age of 87. Born in Russia as Elihu Ginsburg, he adopted Elias Gilner as his pen name. He and his wife came to the United States in 1922.

A frequent contributor to the Yiddish and Anglo-Jewish press, Mr. Gilner was the author of several Yiddish plays, including “The Voice of Israel” and “Backlane Center,” and several novels including “Prince of Israel,” and “In a Sinful World.” His non-fiction work included “War and Hope,” the history of the Jewish Legion and the Zion Mule Corps in World War I. During the British Mandate, Mr. Gilner was a leader of many protest demonstrations against the various Arab riots against Jews in Palestine.

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