SHAYE LEVKOVITSH

SHAYE LEVKOVITSH (1893-August 1943)

            He was born in Bendin (Będzin), Poland.  From his youth he was active in the Zionist movement.  He was the cofounder of a string of Jewish cultural institutions in Zaglembye (Zagłębie).  He was a member of the local Jewish community council.  He was one of the first contributors to Anonsen blat (Commercial newspaper), “for the Będzin area,” and Unzer telefon (Our telephone) in Będzin (1911) in which he published humorous features; later, he was a regular contributor to Zaglembyer tsaytung (Zagłębie newspaper) in Będzin, for which he edited the local chronicle and the humorous-satirical division “Der kokh-lefl” (The busybody).  He also published feature pieces and impressions under the title “Gehert-gezen” (Heard-seen) and “Unzer panorame” (Our panorama).  He edited the weekly Zaglembyer lebn (Zagłębie life) in Będzin (1937-1939).  For a time he was the Zagłębie correspondent for Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper).  He placed work as well in Tshenstokhover togblat (Częstochowa daily newspaper) and elsewhere.  He published also under such pen names as: Dr. Popuri, Ben Ish, and Ben Amots.  During the Nazi occupation he was confined in the Będzin ghetto.  He was a member of the Judenrat (Jewish council) and was murdered at Auschwitz.

Sources: L. Shpigelman, in Pinkes bendin (Records of Będzin) (Tel Aviv, 1959), pp. 63, 64, 68; Sh. Rozenblum, in Pinkes bendin, p. 87; M. Hampl, in Pinkes bendin, pp. 153, 312, 315.

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