GERSHON GARVIN

GERSHON GARVIN (b. February 12, 1885)

            He was born in the Ponevezh (Panevezys), Lithuania, and received a traditional Jewish education.  He also studied secular subject matter in the Ponevezh municipal school.  He emigrated to the United States in 1898, and studied in evening schools in New York.  He was active in organizing Jewish food merchants and founding cooperative purchasing positions.  In 1917 he began publishing his works in Millers vokhnshrift (Miller’s weekly writing).  He wrote poems, stories, humorous sketches, articles, feature pieces, and daily columns, under his own name and under the pseudonyms Gershon ben Moyshe, Khayim Volk, Mira Leyn, A. Nashbrat, and Gershele in Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily news) and Der humorist (The humorist).  He also served as the editor of the publication Der groyser kundes (The great prankster); contributed to the trade magazine Di teglikhe shpayz-tsaytung (The daily food newspaper) which he also edited over the years 1926-1933; and he was editor of Butsher un poultry (Butcher and poultry), Grosers bulletin (Grocer’s bulletin), Di yidishe bekers shtime (The voice of Jewish bakers), Der butsher-zhurnal (Butchers’ magazine) (1914-1917), and Der fermitler (The mediator).  These trade magazines appeared in New York biweekly in Yiddish and in English.  He was the author of Epigramen in ramen (Epigrams in rhyme) (New York, 1964), 101 pp.  Garvin also contributed to the book Di yidishe landsmanshaftn in nyu-york (The Jewish compatriot associations in New York).  He was living in Brooklyn.

Source: A. Goldberg, in Zamlbukh, lekoved dem tsvey hundert un fuftsikstn yoyvl fun der yidisher prese 1686-1936 (Anthology in honor of the 250^th jubilee of the Yiddish press, 1686-1936), ed. Y. Shatski (New York: YIVO, 1937).