YANKEV BEKER

YANKEV BEKER (b. March 4, 1904)

            He was born in Khelm (Chełm), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school.  At age fourteen he became a laborer.  He was a member of the Chełm city council and the Jewish community.  During WWII he was in Soviet Russia.  He spent a few years from 1945 in Lodz and in late 1948 made aliya to Israel.  He was active in left Labor Zionism.  He wrote for Khelemer folksblat (Chełm people’s newspaper), Arbeter vort (Workers’ word) in Paris, and Yisroel shtime (Voice of Israel), Nay velt (New world), and Al hamishmar (On guard) in Tel Aviv.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 100.