Rozental, Leyb
November 5, 1916 (or September 17, 1913)- September 22/23, 1944
He was born in Vilna. He studied in an elementary school of the Khevre Mefitse Haskole (Society for the Promotion of Enlightenment [among the Jews of Russia]) and in Gurevitsh’s high school.
At age thirteen, he published—with another beginning poet, Yoysef Hernhut—a booklet of poems entitled
Zalbetsveyt (Two By Two) (Vilna: Rozental, 1929), 16 pp.
From time to time, he published poems, humorous sketches, and articles in:
Ovnt-kuryer (Evening courier),
Vilner ekspres (Vilna express), and
Di Tsayt (The Times).
He was one of the main writers for the revue performances in the Vilna ghetto. His poems—
“Yisroelik” (Yisroelik),
“Tsu eyns, tsvey, dray” (One, two, three),
“Kh’vil nokh eyn mol zen mayn heym” (I’d like to see my home one more time),
“Ver zogt, az a libe shpiln” (Who says that love plays),
and others
—were sung in the ghettos and concentration camps.
Thirteen of Rozental’s ghetto songs and revue numbers (some with music) were published by Shmerke Katsherginski in
Gezang fun Vilner Geto (Songs from the Vilna Ghetto) (Paris, 1947) and
Lider fun di Getos un Lagern (Songs from the Ghettos and Concentration Camps) (New York, 1948).
He died in an Estonian concentration camp.
Sources: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun Yidishn Teater (Lexicon of the Yiddish Theater), vol. 5 (Mexico City, 1966); B. Mark, Umgekumene Shrayber fun di Getos un Lagern (Murdered Writers from the Ghettos and Camps) (Warsaw, 1954); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York); Zola Shuman, niece.
Leyb Rozental was my Uncle, my mother - his sister, Chayela Rosenthal, sang his songs in the Vilna Ghetto and in the camps during the Holocaust. After the war, she wrote many of his songs down in a note book after the war. You can read much more about their lives and hear the songs here: www.chayela.com
REPLY FROM LEXICON: Wow, that's incredible information. Thank you so much for sharing!/sry