FISHL GELIBTER

FISHL GELIBTER (ca. 1884-December 14, 1935)

            He was born in Zamość, Poland, to devout parents.  He studied in religious primary school, later with private tutors.  He became a laborer while still young.  In 1904 he was one of the founders of the Bundist organization in Zamość.  He was later active in the Jewish revolutionary movement in Chełm and Brisk (Brest).  He emigrated to the United States in 1907.  He lived in New York for several years, and in 1910 he moved to Pittsburgh where he was active in the Jewish socialist federation.  He later returned to settle in New York and worked for HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), the Forverts (Forward), Tsukunft (Future), and the Workmen’s Circle.  He was one of the directors of the Jewish Socialist Union.  Over the years 1915-1926, he served as executive secretary of the Workmen’s Circle and from 1926 until his death its educational director.  He achieved a great deal in the cultural realm of the Workmen’s Circle generally and particularly excelled in his indefatigable work for Jewish schools.  He wrote for Veker (Alarm), organ of the Jewish Socialist Union, articles on community and cultural issues—he also served on the editorial collective of this journal.  In 1919, during the rifts in socialist circles, he left for a short period of time to join the Communists and was one of the editors of the Communist newspaper Der kamf (The struggle) in New York, but he soon returned to the socialist movement.  Over the years 1932-1935, he edited Der fraynd (The friend) and Unzer shul (Our school), organs of the Workmen’s Circle concerned with the Jewish school and cultural activity in America.  He translated into Yiddish Lenin’s Di hoypt-oyfgabe fun unzer tsayt (The main task of our time) (New York, 1918), 13 pp.; Friedrich Adler’s Ikh bashuldik (J’accuse) (New York, 1919), 44 pp.; Leon Trotsky’s Unzer revolutsyon (Our revolution) (New York, 1919), 238 pp.; and Stanisław Przybyszewski’s Dem tayfels kinder (The devil’s children [original: Dzieci szatana]) (New York, 1920), 337 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: N. B. Linder, in Tog (New York) (November 17, 1931); Sh. Rozenfeld, in Tog (December 26, 1934); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (February 27, 1935); Vilner tog (December 17, 1937); L. Rotman, in Der fraynd (New York) (January 1937); Y. Baskin, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (January 16, 1946); B. Gebiner, in Der fraynd (January-February 1950); Y. Sh. Herts, Doyres bundistn (Generations of Bundists), vol. 1 (New York, 1956), pp. 445-47 (includes a bibliography); Pinkes zamoshtsh (Records of Zamość) (Buenos Aires, 1957), pp. 895-97.

Khayim Leyb Fuks