Slouschz, Nahum

Russian Hebrew litterateur; born at Odessa Nov., 1872. He was educated at the common school of his native city, and, in rabbinics, by his father. When only nineteen years of age he was sent to Palestine by the Chovevei Zion Society of Odessa, to found, if possible, a colony in the Holy Land. He was not successful and returned home. In 1896 he traveled through Austria and Lithuania, and then went to Egypt and again to Palestine.

While quite young Slouschz had contributed to Hebrew and Russian journals. Holding Zionistic ideas, he became an ardent follower of Herzl when the latter inaugurated the Zionist movement; and branches were established by Slouschz in Odessa and other parts of southern Russia. He wrote much on the Jewish question and took part in the second congress at Basel both as delegate and as correspondent.

In 1898 he studied belles-lettres and philosophy at the University of Geneva, again showing his interest in Zionism by founding together with others the Swiss Federation of Zionists. In 1900 he went to Paris, where he studied Oriental languages. He earned a livelihood as correspondent of several papers, among which were "Ha-Meliẓ" and "Ha-Ẓefirah." In 1902 he was appointed teacher at the normal school in Auteuil, and in 1903 he graduated as doctor of the University of Paris, his thesis being "La Renaissance de la Littérature Hebraïque" (Paris, 1903). In 1904 he became lecturer on Neo-Hebraic literature at the same university.

Besides his contributions to the journals, he published: "Mah Ya'aseh ha-Adam we-lo Yeḥeṭeh" (Jerusalem, 1890) and "Ha-Osher me-Ayin Yimmaẓe " (ib. 1892), both being translations of works by Paolo Montegazza; "Massa' be-Liṭa" (ib. 1898); "Ḳobeẓ Sippurim" (Warsaw, 1899), a translation of some of Zola's novels; "Keneset ha-Gedolah" (ib. 1899); "Massa' be-Miẓrayim" (ib. 1900); "Ha-Ḳongres ha-Ẓiyyoni ha-Rebi'i" (ib. 1901), on the congress of Zionists; "Emil Zola Ḥayyaw u-Sefaraw" (ib. 1901); "Ketabim Nibḥarim" (7 vols., ib. 1904-1905), selections from Guy de Maupassant, translated into Hebrew and including a monograph on that author by Slouschz.

H. R. F. T. H.