In 1884 Winchevsky and his friend Eliyahu Wolf Rabinowitz established the left-wing newspaper Der poylisher yidl (The Polish Jew). Winchevsky edited the paper and wrote articles, feuilletons, theatre reviews, and poetry concerning the life of the impoverished worker in London’s East End. In 1885 he was part of setting up the more overtly socialist Arbayter fraynd (Workers’ Friend), for which he also contributed poetry, including around a dozen socialist anthems to be sung by workers during demonstrations and marches in support of union action for fairer pay and better conditions in East End sweatshops. Many were put to music and became popular at workers’ rallies across the Yiddish-speaking world.

At the same time as gaining popularity as a local poet writing about the inequalities he saw around him in London, he earned the nickname the zeyde for his satirical column dealing with local issues, variously called “Tseshlogene gedankn fun a meshugenem filozof” (Rambling Thoughts of a Crazy Philosopher) and “Bilder un verter fun a meshugenem filozof” (Pictures and Words of a Crazy Philosopher). The Crazy Philosopher was the persona of a grandfather mulling over ideas and radical politics from a position of experience and age, often speaking to or about his grandson. Winchevsky wrote scores of “Crazy Philosopher” feuilletons throughout his time in London and continued the column when he later wrote for the Yiddish press in America.

Winchevsky wrote his many feuilletons in a style characteristic of the Yiddish press. He communicated directly with his audience in a satirical and humorous manner, using a plethora of local referencing which he pulled together into fictional storylines. He was particularly critical of the paternalistic relationship of the Anglo-Jewish establishment towards the Yiddish-speaking immigrant worker. He mocked the Anglo-Jewish desire for anglicisation, which was stronger than attachment to their own Jewish culture and berated them for their lack of sympathy for Jewish workers who were exploited by affluent workshop masters. At the same time, Winchevsky encouraged immigrant Jewish workers to notice the inequalities in society, including those within the immigrant community, and to stand up against them. His tone towards the workers moves between empathy, solidarity, and frustration. Winchevsky’s feuilletons are packed with clever allusions, detailed knowledge of English and Jewish society, and a fine sense of humour which is the engine for his fast-paced urban sketches.

Winchevsky’s feuilletons and his support for Jewish workers resonated with his readers on a number of levels. His poignant ballads of London poverty and injustice reflected their lives. His satirical feuilletons, like “Reformed Noses,” entertained and educated them, and they sang his workers’ anthems in demonstrations for fairer pay and better conditions for decades after he left London for America in 1894.

Further Reading:

• Epstein, Melekh. 1965. Profiles of Eleven: Profiles of Eleven Men Who Guided the Destiny of an Immigrant Society and Stimulated Social Consciousness among the American People. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
• Lachs, Vivi. 2018. Whitechapel Noise: Jewish Immigrant Life in Yiddish Song and Verse, London 1884-1914. Detroit, Wayne State University Press.
• Prager, Leonard. 1990. Yiddish Culture in Britain: A Guide. Frankfurt Am Maine: Peter Lang.
• Winchevsky, Morris. 1910. Lider un gedikhte. New York: Maisel and Company.
• Winchevsky, Morris. 1920. Der meshugener filozof in England. New York: The Forward Association.