With Maxim Gorky, Karl Radek and other famous Russian writers attending, the Federation of Soviet Authors held a memorial meeting for Mendele Mocher Seforim, noted Yiddish and Hebrew writer, who would have been 100 years old this year, before a capacity crowd in the Hall of Columns of the Trade Union Palace.
The audience gave an ovation to relatives of Mendele, who now live in Odessa. Boris Wolin, Deputy Education Commissar, who presided, asserted that “the name of Mendele now stretches right across from the tiny village of Kapulie in White Russia, where the great writer was born, and through Odessa, where he lived most of his life, to Biro-Bidjan, whose main thoroughfare is named Mendele Prospect.”
Contrasting the position of Jewish writers in Russia and Germany, he said, “Today is a red-letter day not only for Jewish literature, but for the literatures of all the Soviet peoples.”
Isaac Babel, former pupil of Mendele, announced that he was translating the author’s works for publication in Russian. Other speakers were Prof. Dinamov, director of the Literature Department of the Institute for Professors; Leonid Leonov and Prof. Nussinov, authors; Mr. Litvakov, editor of Emas, Yiddish daily; Mr. Michoels, of the Moscow Jewish State Theatre; Perotz Markish, David Bergelson and Mr. Godiner, writers.
The Western Region of Smolensk has, at the behest of the Education Commissary, named the best school in the country the Mendele School. A Mendele scholarship has been established at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute.
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