Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 09.074
April 3, 2000

1) Dina Abramowicz z'l (1909-2000)
2) Max Epstein z'l (1913-2000)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 18:33:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: Aviva Astrinsky <avastrinsky@yivo.cjh.org>
Subject: Dina Abramowicz z'l

It is with great sadness that I report the passing away today of our
esteemed colleague and role model, Dina Abramowicz Z"L, just one month
before her 91st birthday.

Born in Vilna, Yerushalayim de Lita in 1909, she received her M.A. in
Humanities from the Stefan Batory University in 1936. She started her career
as a children's librarian in Vilna. During the Nazi occupation (1941-1943)
the Jews were crammed into a small Ghetto, where she assisted Dr. Herman
Kruk in establishing and running a library for the Ghetto inmates.  Dina
survived by escaping from a deportation train and walking into the woods to
join the Jewish partisans.

Dina came to the USA in 1946 and received her MLS degree from Columbia
University in 1953. She became Assistant Librarian at the YIVO Institute for
Jewish Research in 1947, and Head Librarian in 1962. In 1987 she became
YIVO's Research Librarian, a position she held until her death.

Those of us who had the privilege of working with her could not help but
feel great affection and admiration for Dina. She was one of those rare
people who embodied the essence of reference librarianship -- enabling other
library patrons find the information that would move their research efforts
forward.

Dina received numerous awards, and wrote a number of articles. Her last work
was the translation and editing of her father's memoirs, Profiles of a Lost
World (1998).

May her memory be for a blessing.

Aviva E. Astrinsky

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 08:12:15 EST
From: Sapoznik@aol.com
Subject: Max Epstein (1913-2000)

Max Epstein, famed veteran klezmer clarinetist and member of the well known
Epstein Brothers Orchestra died in Florida yesterday. He was 87.

As the only acknowledged Amercian born equal of such European klezmer
players as Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein, Epstein enjoyed unparalled
success as a working member of New York's Yiddish music community during its
heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. He and his brothers recorded a number of
records including the classic "Dukes of Freilachland" LP in the late 1950s.

Moving to Flordia in the 1960s, the fame of the brothers diminshed and was
only rekindled with the renewed interest in klezmer music in the 1970s.
Their retirement was ended by keyboard player Pete Sokolow who encouraged
Epstein's appearance at KlezKamp in 1991 where he met clarinetist Joel
Rubin.  Rubin orchestrated the Brothers' successful tours resulting in the
documentary film "A Tickle in the Heart". The Epsteins were later awarded a
National Heritage Folklife Award by the National Endowment for the Arts in
1998.  Max Epstein is survived by his wife and brother, drummer Julie.

Henry Sapoznik
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End of Mendele Vol. 09.074

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