Sholem_Asch Sholem Asch born Szulim Asz (), also written Shalom Asch Kutno - July 10, 1957, London) was a Polish-born American Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language.Asch was one of ten children of Moszek Asz (1825 Gabin-1905 Kutno), a cattle-dealer and innkeeper, and Frajda Malka, nee Widawska (1850 Łęczyca), and received a traditional Jewish education; as a young man he followed that with a more liberal education obtained at Włocławek, where he supported himself as a letter writer for the illiterate Jewish townspeople.