Reuben Brainin - Biography

Reuben Brainin, Reuven Brainin, or Ruben ben Mordecai Brainin (March 16, 1862, Ljady (ru) (now in Dubroŭna Raion, Vitsebsk Voblast, Belarus) - November 30, 1939, New York) was a Jewish publicist, biographer and literary critic.

He was born in Russia (in "Lithuania", now Belarus) in the last half of the 19th century and had moved to Berlin by 1902.

At different times Brainin contributed to the periodicals Ha-Meliẓ, Ha-Toren, Ha-Ẓefirah, Ha-Maggid, and Ha-Shiloaḥ. In 1895 he issued a periodical under the title "Mi-Mizraḥ u-Mi-Ma-arab" (From East and West), of which only four numbers appeared.

Brainin is the author of several pamphlets, the most important of which are his sketch of Pereẓ Smolenskin's life and works, Warsaw, 1896; and a translation of M. Lazarus' essay on Jeremiah, Warsaw, 1897. He has also written about one hundred biographical sketches of modern Jewish scholars and writers.

To "Aḥiasaf" Brainin has contributed the following articles:

• "Ilane Sraḳ" (Barren Trees) (i. 32)
• "Bar Ḥalafta" (ii. 71)
• "Dappim Meḳuṭṭa'im" (Loose Leaves) (v. 120).

He has also contributed to the same periodical the following biographical sketches:

• Moritz Lazarus (iv. 214)
• Rabbi Moritz Güdemann (iv. 219)
• Theodor Herzl (v. 222)
• Israel Zangwill (v. 233)
• Max Nordau (v. 247)

The city of Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel has named a street after Reuben Brainin to honor his memory.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

• • Chaim David Lippe, Bibliographisches Lexicon s.v.;
  • Moïse Schwab, Répertoire des Articles d'Histoire et de Littérature Juive, part i, s.v.

Further reading

• Simon Rawidowicz, BRAININ, RUBEN, Jüdisches Lexikon, Berlin 1927, vol. 1, col. 1134-1135

Notes