Sholem Aleichem

Known as the "Jewish Mark Twain", Salomon  Naumovich Rabinovich was born on March 2, 1859 in a shtetl in Russia. A Hasidic Jewish family, his father was a merchant, but lost his business, and the family lived in poverty. When he was thirteen, his mother died of cholera in their new hometown of Pereyaslav. Around this time he began writing, taking the pen name "Sholem Aleichem", the Yiddish expression meaning "peace be with you". This name appeared on the Jewish version of Robinson Crusoe that he wrote when he was fifteen. After finishing high school, Sholem Aleichem began tutoring, and in 1883 he married his pupil Olga Loev. They raised six children together.

Following their marriage, Sholem Aleichem began a prolific career writing in Yiddish, which was unusual for Jews at that time. Yiddish was highly vernacular, and little was written in Yiddish, the preferance being given to Hebrew. This decision to write in Yiddish made Sholem Aleichem integral in the world of Yiddish literature at the end of 19th century. He became very popular for his Tevye the Dairyman stories (eventually the inspiration for the popular musical Fiddler on the Roof), among other works, and encouraged other writers of Yiddish literature. He works were, and still are, noted for their sense of humor, buoyant cheerfulness, and portrayal of life in a shtetl.

Sholem Aleichem and his family lived in Ukraine for awhile, but were ultimately forced to emigrate to Geneva, Switzerland, due to all the anti-Semitic pogroms in Russia. On top of this unfortunate circumstance, Sholem Aleichem's works, depsite their popularity, did not bring much income to the family. The exhaustion of his work was exacerbated by his acute tuberculosis, which required him to live for several years as a semi-invalid. Being so well-loved, however, he and his family were lavished with support from fans of his work.

Eventually Sholem Aleichem and most of his family emigrated to New York. This was in 1914, two years before Sholem Aleichem's death, and he was busy writing until then. His funeral in 1916 was accompanied by an estimate of 100,000 mourners, which at the time was one of the most enormous funerals recorded in New York City. Sholem Aleichem is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetary in Queens, and every year his death is commemorated, at his request, with public festivities.