SHLOYME HERSHENHORN

SHLOYME HERSHENHORN (1888-January 2, 1953)

            He was born in Lublin to well-off parents.  He studied in religious elementary school and synagogue study hall, later graduating from high school in Pulav (Puławy).  In 1917 he graduated from the medical faculty of Prague University.  From his youth he was active in the Bund in Lublin, and from 1917 he was the Bundist representative—vice-chairman, 1929-1939—in the city council and Jewish community managing committee of Lublin.  He was also active in ORT (Association for the Promotion of Skilled Trades), TOZ (Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia [Society for the protection of health]), and other institutions.  He worked with the Joint Distribution Committee and OZE in the eastern realms of Poland and in Lithuania.  When the Germans seized Lithuania, he escaped deep into Russia, where he was held under arrest for several months (in connection with the persecution of Bundists after the Erlich-Alter murders), but during the formation of the Polish military by General Zygmunt Berling, he was freed from prison, appointed to administer the medical department of the Polish military, and went with the army into battle against the Germans.  He came to Lublin in 1944, where he returned to rebuild a number of institutions for survivor Jews.  He was director of Jewish affairs for the Lublin Polish government.  He was also vice-chairman of the central committee of Jews in Poland and of the central committee of the Bund.  On assignment for TOZ, he traveled to Western Europe and the United States.  In late 1948 he illegally left Poland and arrived in the state of Israel, later leaving there for Melbourne, Australia, and there he was again active in community life and in the Bund.  He died in Melbourne.  He began publishing in Lubliner togblat (Lublin daily newspaper) in 1919, and from that time contributed to Lubliner shtime (Voice of Lublin), Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper) in Warsaw, Dos naye lebn (The new life) in Lodz (which he served as a member of the editorial board, 1946-1948), Unzer shtime (Our voice) in Paris, Unzer gedank (Our thoughts) in Melbourne (editorial board member, 1950-1952), and Dos bukh fun lublin (The book from Lublin) in Paris (1952), among others.

Sources: H. Bakhrakh, in Unzer tsayt (New York) (February-March 1953); Y. Yanosovitsh, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (March 18, 1953); Y. Kahan, in Unzer gedank (Melbourne) (April 1953); Y. Sh. Herts, Doyres bundistn (Generations of Bundists), vol. 2 (New York, 1956); Z. V. in Entsiklopediya shel galuyot, lublin (Encyclopedia of the Diaspora, Lublin) (Jerusalem, 1957), p. 469.

Khayim Leyb Fuks