ḤEVEL HALEVI HURVITS (HORVITS)

ḤEVEL HALEVI HURVITS (HORVITS) (b. ca. 1864)

            He was born in a town near Vilkomir (Ukmergė), Lithuania, to poor parents.  He studied in religious elementary school and in the Telz Yeshiva.  In the early 1880s, he moved to London and there became a maker of walking sticks and was active in Jewish workingmen’s circles.  He also wrote poetry, a number of which—such as “Idishe trern” (Jewish tears), “Slek” (Slack [season]), and “Der shekl” (The shekel), among others—were popular among London Jewish immigrants.  He contributed to Morris Winchevsky’s Der poylisher idl (The little Polish Jew) (London, 1884-1885), in which he published, in addition to poems of a popular nature, poetry on occasional motifs, as well as articles and notices concerning the condition of the Jewish workers in the tailoring business in London.  He also published poems, humorous sketches, and feature pieces in the following London serials: Arbayter-fraynd (Friend of labor), Zherminal (Germinal), Pipifoks (“Pee-pee-fox”), Di tsayt (The times), and Der arbayter (The laborer); Telefon (Telephone) and Arbeter-shtime (Voice of labor) in Brussels; and Fraye arbeter shtime (Voice of free labor) and Forverts (Forward) in New York; among others.  His series—“Fliendige bleter” (Flying leaves), “Di gedankn fun a meshugenem” (Ideas from a crazy man), and “Plapleray fun a shiker” (Jibberish of a drunkard)—drew the attention in their time of young Jewish readers.  Among his books: Folks-motiven, gezamlte lider tsu zingen un deklamirn (Folk motifs, collected poems to sing and declaim) (London, 1923), 106, 8 pp., with an introduction and a short characterization by Ben-A. Sokhatshevski and a greeting from his friend and contemporary Y.-H. Kohen-Lask.

Sources: Ben-A. Sokhatshevski, introduction to Folks-motiven (London, 1923); K. Marmor, in Morgn-frayhayt (New York) (October 23, 1938); Shmuel Niger, in Tsukunft (New York) (June 1940).

Khayim Leyb Fuks