Hayim Sheynin

Author’s Biography & message of the play

Dr. Hayim Y. Sheynin was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia in 1938. His parents were Russian intelligents of Jewish descent. Very early in his life he discovered his interest to humanities and literature. With falling of his father in the front of WWII in 1941 and illness of his mother since 1945 he was brought up first by his grandmother, then by relatives of his mother. In his new family he mastered French language and familiarity with Russian and Western history.

From the age 10 he joints the circle of young historians in the Palace of Young Pioneers, Leningrad, where he studies ancient and medieval history, and in the same organization he takes his first lessons in creative writing. Later in life he worked as a mechanic at optical and mechanical plant, served in Soviet army, and studied in the Naval Submarine academy.

Only in 1961 after an accident at the see, he could start his education in humanities. He begins his undergraduate studies with serious study of Latin and Greek languages and literatures, continues on graduate level in study of Semitic languages and literatures.

He graduates from Leningrad University in 1965, and accepted into Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies. Here he has opportunity to read books in many languages primarily on Jewish culture and history. He participates in the annual conferences of the Institute, and publishes his first articles.

His primary interests are literary texts. Since 1963 he frequents M.E. Saltykov Public Library (now Russian State Library), where are preserved thousands of manuscripts in different languages and among them treasures of manuscripts of Cairo Genizah.

Dr. Sheynin starts his research by finding dozens of unknown works of Hebrew literature, and publishing scholarly editions of some of them. He is interested especially in poetry and materials in Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic and Ladino.

In 1972 Hayim Sheynin emigrates to Israel, where he teaches at Haifa University Hebrew Literature, Semitic Linguistics and Library Science, in 1979 he arrives to the USA, where he works as a Professor and Librarian at Dropsie University, Philadelphia. In 1987 he is awarded Ph.D. degree by the University of Pennsylvania for his work on Hebrew poet Joseph ben Tanchum ha-Yerushalmi (1261-ca. 1330).

For the last 20 years Dr. Sheynin works for Gratz College, Philadelphia, from where he retires in 2006. He wrote over 150 scholarly books, articles and book reviews. He is known for his research in historical linguistics, Hebrew, Ladino and Judeo-Arabic literature. He is a member in many scholarly societies and participates in discussions on professional forums.

Hayim Sheynin, chooses the subject not by chance, for long period he studied Jewish history, literature and languages, especially as it pertains to medieval Spain and Middle East.

The historical tragedy entitled “Risk: a Battle for Redemption” is based on very famous Jewish legend Maaseh Norah shel Rabbi Yosef de la Reina (A terrible case of R. Joseph de la Reina [Joseph of the queen]) which is known in at least two Hebrew versions since the beginning of the 16 century. This story was early translated into Ladino and Yiddish. One of the editions of the early Yiddish popular version was published by Shneur Zalman Rubashov (Zalman Shazar), the third president of Israel. About one of the older Hebrew versions, that of R. Eliezer ha-Levi, Gershon Scholem, a renowned scholar of Cabbala, published an article in “Kirjath Sefer.” Some of former students of the latter included the topic of this legend in their research works.

The said legend was very popular in Jewish milieu; it was printed and reprinted many times and in many languages. A Terrible Case of R. Joseph de la Reina attracted also attention of some Hebrew and Yiddish poets, including Shmuel Yosef Agnon, receiver of Nobel price for literature, and writers who based their poems, stories, and dramas on the legend usually closely following the original story. It is up to readers to see the differences in the interpretation of the story.

The present author of the Risk: a Battle for Redemption does not follow slavishly the folkloric story. He tries to intertwine it into the frame of Jewish history of Christian Spain in the second part of the 15th century, just before the final expulsion of the Jews. Some historical events are featured here, as well as several major historical figures are characters in the play (Christian kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, Thomas de Torquemada, Don Abraham Senior, Don Meir Melamed, Don Isaac Abarbanel, etc., others are just mentioned, as well as literary works of Spanish Jews and Christians).

The play uses also some opinions of the famous cabbalists of Safed (Tsfat) about the causes which brought the Christian kings to decision to expel the Jews. They blamed Rabbi Joseph della Reina, the protagonist of the present tragedy, and stated that his preoccupation with magic was the main cause of the final expulsion of the Jews from Spanish lands in 1492.

The tragedy is addressed wide audience, not only Israeli, and not only Jewish, even both of these categories of readers might be more knowledgeable in Jewish culture, history, literature and folklore.

Besides the plot and love story—as well as sexual activities during four month of Satanism—the public will find interpretations of messianic feelings and problems of Christian-Jewish and Jewish-Christian relations as well as understanding of the mechanism of actions of the New Spanish inquisition.

The readers who are well versed in Jewish history and in the history of anti-Semitism can find in the play a lot of parallels to the anti-Semitic acts in the past century.

In this light the readers and especially the theaters’ audience can see direct relation of prosecution of the Jews in Christian Spain to Jewish pogroms in Russia, the Jewish Holocaust perpetrated by Nazis, and finally by some recent anti-Jewish claims declared by several Muslim leaders.

The major message for the non-Jewish audience is do not be blind blaming the other for your own problems, be tolerant to ethnic and religious groups other than your own and try to build bridges between different communities. After all, all of us have equal rights to have our own believes and to worship according to our own way.

Although the play speaks about situation of the Jews of Spain in the last quarter of the fifteen century, it sounds relevant to understanding of contemporaneous events in many countries like Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Darfour, Somali and Iraq.

This exciting book in the genre of a play provides the reader with a dramatic representation of the life and legend of Rabbi Joseph della Reina during the historical upheaval of the Jews in 15th century Spain.

Author: Sheynin, Hayim Y.
Title: Risk: A Battle for Redemption
Sub-title: A Tragedy in Two Acts.
Publisher: Charleston, SC: BookSurge publishing, 2007

Available summary translations
Hebrew (63 KB PDF)
Spanish (97 KB PDF)