LEYB KHEYFETS

LEYB KHEYFETS (June 15, 1900-February 23, 1977)

            He was born in Byeshenkovitsh (Biešankovičy), Byelorussia.  He studied in religious primary school and with his father, a scholar.  At age ten he and his parents made their way to Canada.  He attended public school and high school in Montreal.  At age seventeen, he joined “Haḥaluts” (The pioneer), and at age eighteen he joined the Jewish Legion.  Returning to Montreal, he began in 1922 to contribute to the daily Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) as a reporter and news editor.  He published a series of articles entitled “Zikhroynes fun yidishn legion” (Memoirs of the Jewish Legion).  He served as the Canadian correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (ITA).  For about fifteen years, he edited Dos vort (The word), a monthly of the Zionist labor movement in Canada.  He organized the youth club “Hashomer” (The guard) in Montreal, was secretary of the Labor Zionist association, and later secretary of the action committee of the Zionist labor movement in Canada.  He later moved to Aviḥail, Israel, from whence he sent from time to time articles to Keneder odler and Dos vort, both in Montreal.  He also wrote under the pen name: L. Ben-Arn.  He died in Aviḥail.