SHMUEL HURVITSH

SHMUEL HURVITSH (1879-1938)

            He was born in Vilna, into a laborer household.  He studied in religious primary school, later graduating from a Russian high school.  In his early youth he became a locksmith.  From 1903 until his death, he was active in Jewish community life in Vilna.  He was a cofounder and vice-chair of the Jewish artisans’ union and the Jewish museum named for Sh. Ansky in Vilna.  He also served on the Jewish community council.  He published articles on economic issues and artisanal matters in the Vilna serial Dos fraye vort (The free word) in 1921, Unzer hilf (Our assistance) from 1921 to 1932, Der yidisher hantverker (The Jewish artisan) of which he was also co-editor, Fraynd (Friend), Tog (Day), and Tsayt (Time), among others.  Among his books: 30 yor bay der vakh fun der antiviklung un organizirung fun der yidishn hantverker in vilne (Thirty years observing the development and organization of the Jewish artisan in Vilna) (Vilna, 1933), 77 pp.  He died in Vilna.

Sources: Pinkes yekopo (Records of Yekopo [Jewish Assistance Committee for the Victims]), 1930-1931; Y. Y. Poznanski, Yorbukh far yidisher biblyografye in poyln (Yearbook for Jewish bibliography in Poland) (Warsaw, 1936), p. 36; H. Abramovitsh, in Under shtime (Paris) (June 22, 1957); Abramovitsh, in Lebns-fragn (Tel Aviv) (July 1954); Abramovitsh, in Farshvundene geshtaltn (Disappearing images) (Buenos Aires: Farband fun poylishe yidn [Association of Polish Jews], 1958), pp. 49-54.