SHMUEL-KHAYIM TOP

SHMUEL-KHAYIM TOP (b. March 7, 1904)

            He was born in Novidvor (Nowy Dwor), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school, a Russian school, and a Polish teachers’ seminary in Warsaw.  From 1918 he was active in the Bund.  During WWII he was living in the Soviet Union.  He returned to Poland in 1946, and in 1950 he moved to Israel.  He debuted in print in 1930 with a poem in Folks-tsaytung (People’s newspaper) in Warsaw.  He published poetry and reportage pieces in: Vokhnshrift far literatur un kunst (Weekly writing for literature and art), Foroys (Onward), Dos naye lebn (The new life), and Folks-shtime (Voice of the people) in Warsaw; Ilustrirte literarishe bleter (Illustrated literary pages) in Buenos Aires; Unzer shtime (Our voice) and Unzer vort (Our word) in Paris; Tsukunft (Future) in New York); and Letste nayes (Latest news), Bay zikh (On one’s own), and Goldene keyt (Golden chain) in Tel Aviv; among others.  He also published in Polish.  His work was represented in: Almanakh fun di yidishe shrayber in yisroel (Almanac of Yiddish writers in Israel) (Tel Aviv, 1967).  His volumes of poetry include: In hoyz fun khaloymes (In the house of dreams) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1967), 76 pp.; Bashertkeyt (Predestination) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1978), 94 pp.; Shtern faln (Stars falling) (Tel Aviv: Leyvik Publ., 1982), 118 pp.  He also wrote under the pseudonym: Sasha Top.

Sources: A. Volf-Yasni, in Letste nayes (Tel Aviv) (July 14, 1967); A Baraban, in Yidishe tsaytung (Tel Aviv) (October 13, 1967); Sh. Kants, in Letste nayes (January 20, 1978); A. Lis, in Folk, velt un medine (Tel Aviv) (March-April 1980); Y. Fridlender, in Letste nayes (October 30, 1981); Kh. Zeltser, in Lebns-fragn (Tel Aviv) (January-February 1982).

Ruvn Goldberg

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 276-77.