Zunser, Eliakum

Zunser, Eliakum ĕlˈyōko͝om tso͝onˈzər [key], 1846–1913, Lithuanian folk poet and singer who wrote in Yiddish. The most popular Jewish folk singer of his time, he appeared at weddings all over Russia, delivering sermons and extemporizing songs. A collection of his poems, Shrim Khadoshim, was published in 1861. After the pogroms of 1880–81, he became an adherent of Zionism. In 1889 he emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City and opening a print shop.

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