KHAYIM AV. HURVITS

KHAYIM AV. HURVITS (November 15, 1893-September 18, 1952)

            He was known as Khayim Vital.  He was born in Smargon (Smarhon, Smorgon), Vilna district, the son of a rabbi.  He studied in Reynes’s yeshiva in Lide (Lida), thereafter departing for Israel, and there he continued his general education.  In 1915 he moved to Bulgaria and there began his journalistic activities with the Bulgarian Hebrew periodical Hamishpat (The judgment).  From 1917 he was living in Stockholm, Sweden, and attended university there.  From 1920 he was publishing articles in Hatsfira (The siren), Haolam (The world), Hatoran (The duty officer), and other serials.  In 1924 he settled in Warsaw and there contributed to Hayom (Today), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), and sent articles in to Dos idishe folk (The Jewish people) and other serials in New York.  In 1937 he began writing correspondence pieces for Forverts (Forward) in New York, in which under the pen name “Kh. Vital” he wrote popular articles on various subjects, published interviews with with a number of personalities, and penned characterizations of Hebrew and Yiddish writers whom he had met at various times in various countries.  He knew many languages, and his articles excelled in their extraordinary proficiency in modern European literature.  Among his books: Dovid ben-guryon, ershte premier fun yisroel (David Ben-Gurion, first premier of Israel) (New York, 1952), 243 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Forverts (New York), (September 19, 1952); H. Rogof, in Forverts (June 22, 1952); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York (November 9, 1952).