MORTKHE HAMPEL

MORTKHE HAMPEL (November 15, 1905-December 15, 1982)

            He was born in Bendin (Będzin), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school and the Yavne high school in Będzin.  He was active in Hashomer hatsair (Youth guard), later in Gordoniya.  In 1932 he made aliya to Palestine.  He settled in Magdiel, and from 1949 he was living in Tel Aviv.  He began writing for Zaglembyer tsaytung (Zagłębie newspaper) in Będzin.  For many years he published in Hapoel hatsair (Young laborer), Davar (Word), Yeda am (Folklore), Naye yisroel tsaytung (New Israel newspaper) of which from 1961 he was also co-editor, Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper) in Tel Aviv, Oyfgang (Afresh) in Ḥolon, and others.  He co-edited the remembrance volume Pinkas bendin (Records of Będzin) (1959) and Pinkas zaglembye (Records of Zagłębie).  He contributed to David Tidhar’s Entsiklopedyah leḥalutse hayishuv uvonav (Encyclopedia of the pioneers and builders of the yishuv).  He died in Tel Aviv.

Sources: D. Tidhar, Entsiklopedyah leḥalutse hayishuv uvonav (Encyclopedia of pioneer and builders of the yishuv), vol. 15 (Tel Aviv, 1966); Yidishe tsaytung (Tel Aviv) (November 21, 1975).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 209-10.

Ruvn Goldberg