AVROM (AVRAHAM) BIK

AVROM (AVRAHAM) BIK (May 5, 1913-April 28, 1990)

            He was born in Kobrin (Kobrun), Poland.  In 1927 he moved to the United States and then immigrated to Palestine in 1931 where he studied, from 1931 to 1935 at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav Kook (Yeshiva of the Rabbi Kook Center) in Jerusalem.  From 1936 he was once again living in the United States.  He was close to leftist circles and wrote articles in their Yiddish press, later moving away from the leftist camp.  In 1968 or 1969 he settled in Jerusalem.  In the journals, Bitsaron (Fortress) and Hadoar (The mail), he wrote usually under the pen name Shoylis.  In book form: Grunt-printsipn fun religyezn sotsyalizm (Fundamental principles of religious socialism) (New York-Lodz: Bafrayung, 1938), 133 pp.; Kemfer un hiter (Fighter and guardian) (New York, 1940), 166 pp.; Velt un heym, eseyen (World and home, essays) (New York, 1942), 191 pp.; R. yankev emdin (R. Yankev Emdin) (New York: IKUF, 1946), 254 pp.; Khsides-motivn in der yidisher literatur un lebn (Hassidic motifs in Jewish literature and life) (New York: IKUF, 1948), 112 pp.; Moyshe hes (Moses Hess) (New York: IKUF, 1949), 223 pp.; Vort un tsayt, eseyen (Word and time, essays) (Buenos Aires: IKUF, 1951), 312 pp.; In baginen (At dawn) (New York, 1952), 215 pp.; Veker un kemfer, amerikaner yidn in kamf kegn shlaferay, 1848-1865 (Alarm and fighter, American Jews in the fight against slavery, 1848-1965) (New York, 1955), 253 pp.; Moris vintshevski (Morris Winchevsky) (Los Angeles, 1957), 48 pp.; Doyres dervakhn, byografishe novele (Generations awaken, biographical novel) (New York, 1957), 156 pp.; Fun tsayt un doyer, eseyen (From time and duration, essays) (New York, 1959), 185 pp.; Ideye un geshtalt (Idea and image) (New York: IKUF, 1963), 317 pp.; Tsayt un kiem (Time and existence) (New York, 1966), 235 pp.  In Hebrew: Ḥazon hatekufa (Prophecy of the era) (New York, 1937), 104 pp.; Midrash semukhim (Substantive commentary) (New York, 1958), 127 pp.; Netser mishorashav, motsao veolamo hayehudi shel karl marks (Deep are the roots, the origin and Jewish world of Karl Marx) (Tel Aviv, 1984), 93 pp.

Source: Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature) (Merḥavya, 1967), vol. 1.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 84-85.