author
Judah Steinberg
1863–1908
A Hebrew and Yiddish storyteller shaped by traditional Jewish learning and the ideas of the Haskalah, he wrote vivid fables, children's tales, and Hasidic stories that kept old-world life close and human. His work helped bridge religious tradition and modern literary culture in Eastern Europe.
1 Audiobook
In Those Days: The Story of an Old Man
by Judah Steinberg
About the author
Born in 1863 in Lipkany, Bessarabia, into a Hasidic family, Judah Steinberg received a strongly religious education before teaching himself Russian, science, and mathematics. That mix of traditional learning and modern curiosity became a defining part of his writing life.
He wrote in both Hebrew and Yiddish, producing stories, fables, poems, and books for children. Sources describe him as both a writer and an educator, and note that he taught in Bessarabia before later settling in Odessa, where he also worked as a correspondent.
Steinberg died in Odessa on March 10, 1908. Though his life was relatively short, he is remembered for warm, thoughtful storytelling and for bringing Jewish folklore, moral reflection, and everyday experience into a literary form that remained accessible to younger readers as well as adults.