ALTER TRUS

ALTER TRUS (November 16, 1897-July 27, 1974)

            He was born in Braynsk (Brańsk), Russian Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school and yeshiva.  By trade he was a hat maker.  During WWII he sat in prison and afterward was deported to Soviet Russia.  In subsequent years, he was living in Stockholm, Sweden, where he worked in a factory and devoted himself to cultural work.  He began publishing feature pieces in the local Braynsker yontef numer (Brańsk holiday issue), and from time to time he published correspondence pieces in Dos naye lebn (The new life) in Bialystok.  He co-edited with Julius Kahan: Braynsk sefer hazikoren, a bashreybung fun unzer heym, ire folks-mentshn, ire heldn un firer, un vi azoy braynsk hot gelebt unter di farsheydene okupatsyes (Brańsk remembrance book, a description of our home, our local folks, our heroes and leaders, and how Brańsk lived under various occupations) (New York, 1948), 440 pp.  In 1959 he completed the manuscript of a volume entitled “Mayn shtetele far 50 yor” (My small town fifty years ago) (sixty-seven chapters).  He corresponded from time to time for the Parisian publications: Unzer vort (Our word), Unzer shtime (Our voice), Unzer veg (Our way), and Tsienitsishe shtime (Zionist voice).  He died in Stockholm.

Sources: Byalistoker shtime (New York) (January-February 1949); Y. Shatski, in Yivo-bleter (New York) 37 (1953), p. 268; Meylekh Ravitsh, in Yorbukh (Yearbook) (New York, 1949-1950); “Khronik” (Chronicle), in Unzer vort (Paris) (May 2, 1959); Y. Pat, in Tsukunft (New York) (January 1961).