Judah Leib Cahan
Judah Leib Cahan (Yiddish: יהודה לייב כהן) (1881 in Vilna, Lithuania – 1937 in New York City), more commonly known as Y.L. Cahan, was a Yiddish folklorist.
Also recorded as Yehudah Leib Cahan · Y.L. Cahan
Judah Leib Cahan
Cahan (1881-1937) · Pinkos · Public domain
- Born
- 1881. · Vilnius.
- Died
- 1937. · New York City.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- writer, folklorist, watchmaker and ethnologist.
- Languages
- Yiddish.
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Judah Leib Cahan (Yiddish: יהודה לייב כהן) (1881 in Vilna, Lithuania – 1937 in New York City), more commonly known as Y.L. Cahan, was a Yiddish folklorist.
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wikidata · Q15430091 · wikipedia · Judah Leib Cahan
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Biography
Biography
Born in Vilna, Cahan moved as a youth to Warsaw, where he frequently attended Saturday night folksong recitals at the home of writer I. L. Peretz. After a brief stint in London, he moved to New York in 1904, and continued collecting folklore among the Yiddish-speaking Jews of New York. In 1925, Cahan helped organize the American branch of the YIVO, and was selected to lead its Folklore Committee. He was instrumental in expanding the folklore collection efforts of YIVO, and in 1930 returned to Vilna to train young scholars. After his death, YIVO planned to publish all of his works (collections of folk songs and folktales, and theoretical works), but only the folktales volume was published before the remaining material was destroyed during World War II.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1881
Judah Leib Cahan was born in 1881 at Vilnius.
1937
Judah Leib Cahan died in 1937 at New York City.
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Vilnius.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
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Judah Leib Cahan is recorded as writer, folklorist, watchmaker and ethnologist.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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