Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
54 | JANUARY 20 • 2022
A Yiddish Literary Giant
L
ast 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 enlight-
enment. 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 portray-
al, 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 monas-
tery with a non-Jewish tax collector.
The story is also a parody upon rela-
tionships between elites and the lower
classes.
Universally known by his chosen
pen name, Sholem Aleichem, the writ-
er 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 overwhelm-
ing. “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, there-
fore, 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,
preserving the Yiddish language and
presenting educational programming
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 permanent-
ly 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.
Want to learn more? Go
to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for
free at www.djnfounda-
tion.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
A Yiddish Literary Giant
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
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,
Yiddish Playhouse on Hastings Street
). There are
also many reports and discussions of
Aleichem’s work and his place among
Sholom Aleichem!” (Dec. 4, 1931,
Go
Sholom Aleichem!” (Dec. 4, 1931,