Hebrew and Yiddish writer and thinker. Born in a small town in White Russia, his early youth was steeped in the study of the Talmud and Hasidism. He later contributed to the Hebrew and Yiddish press and became editor of a Yiddish daily, Moment, in Warsaw, Poland. In his books and numerous articles, Zeitlin dealt with the philosophical problems of good and evil; he also wrote extensively on the Kabbalah and on Hasidism. Deeply religious, his fine poetic essays expressed his love of nature, its harmony, and beauty.

Zeitlin died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto while absorbed in prayer. His son Aaron Zeitlin became a Hebrew and Yiddish poet and essayist.