TSVIEN (ZIVION)

TSVIEN (ZIVION) (May 1, 1874-October 14, 1954)

            The pen name of Ben-Tsien Hoffman (Hopen), he was born in the settlement of Krug, near Boysk (Bauska), in Courland.  His father Yitskhok held leases to land.  Tsvien spent his childhood years in the village of Kumyan (or Kemen) at the border of Courland.  He studied in religious elementary school in the small Latvian town of Vaski and later in various yeshivas.  At age fourteen he was studying on his own in the Bauska synagogue study hall and with the sage R. Mortkhele Boysker (Elyashberg), helping him write down his responsa, and handling other correspondence for him.  From R. Mortkhele’s collection of religious texts, he acquainted himself with Jewish Enlightenment literature and read through several works on natural science in German.  At sixteen he departed for Vilna, and there he studied with great diligence.  At eighteen he received ordination into the rabbinate from the sage R. Shloyme, head of the rabbinic court of Vilna, but he happened to meet an intelligent laborer, a member of a socialist propaganda circle, and shortly thereafter he, too, joined the group.  He studied in the Vilna drawing school and then took up teaching.  For two years he worked as a teacher in the Lithuanian towns of Salat (Saločiai) and Pashvitin (Pašvitinys).  In 1896 he settled in Riga with the goal of entering the polytechnic.  In 1898 he and several students from the polytechnic organized a Zionist socialist circle, perhaps the first such group of this sort in history.  That same year he learned of the founding of the Bund, received a package of Bundist literature, and joined the party.  In late 1900 he went abroad to study in the polytechnic in Berlin and philosophy, Semitic languages, and natural science in Berne.  In 1902 he participated in the first meeting of the foreign Bundist student organization.  He was arrested in late 1904 at the Russian-German border, seized in possession of a batch of illegal literature; thanks to an amnesty due to the birth of the Tsar’s son Alexei, though, he was soon released and placed under police supervision.  In late 1906 he again traveled to Germany to study engineering.  He took part in early 1907 in the famous London conference of the Russian Social-Democratic Party.  He began writing in his youth.  Under the influence of Mapu’s Ayit tsavua (The painted eagle) and Shomer’s [N. M. Shaykevitsh] novels, he penned a novel in Hebrew.  He debuted in print with two articles in Hamelits (The advocate) in 1895.  He also attempted to write in Russian and German.  His first lengthy article in Yiddish was published in 1901 in Der idisher arbeter (The Jewish worker), organ of the foreign committee of the Bund in Geneva, using the pen name Ish Tikva (man of hope)—on the need for a national program for the party.  In 1901 he was a correspondent for the Forverts (Forward) in New York at the fifth Zionist congress in Basel.  At that time, he began writing for Tsukunft (Future) in New York and also contributed to the illegal Bundist press.  In 1904 he returned to Riga and corresponded to Fraynd (Friend) in St. Petersburg, using the pen name Tsvien (transposing the letters of Ben-Tsien), and he introduced to the newspaper short feature pieces.  In 1905 he began writing for Hazman (The times) scholarly and journalistic articles under the pen name Afna.  In early 1906 he was invited to Vilna to write for and serve on the editorial board of the Bundist organ, Der veker (The alarm), later Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper).  He performed editorial work, ran a section called “Fun der provints” (From the hinterland), and wrote short humorous features entitled “Mikoyekh dos un yents” (Concerning this and that), using the pen names Ts. And Ish Tikva.  He also penned correspondence pieces, articles, and features for Forverts and Tsukunft, among other serials.  In late 1908 he came to the United States, spent two years employed in engineering work, and then completely turned his attention to journalism.  He was in fact the editor of the first daily Hebrew newspaper in America, Hayom (Today) (1909), the first editor of the monthly Der fraynd (The friend), organ of the Workmen’s Circle (from 1910 to October 1912), and of the weekly newspaper Di naye post (The new mail), official organ of the Cloak and Skirt-Makers Unions in New York; he was also a member of the editorial board of Tsukunft and literary editor of Tog (Day) in New York (1915), later one of the principal contributors to the Forverts.  He also edited the Yiddish section of the “English-Yiddish Encyclopedic Dictionary” (1911-1915).  In 1918 he edited a pamphlet entitled Karl marks, zayn lebn, zayn virken un zayne lehren, 1818-1918 (Karl Marx, his life, his impact, and his teachings, 1818-1918) (New York), 192 pp.  In 1921 there appeared under his supervision and with a foreword by him a volume of articles by L. Trotsky: Unzer revolutsyon (Our revolution) (New York), 238 pp.  After the split in the Jewish socialist federation, he broke with Olgin, Rogof, and others from the Forverts, and he became one of the leaders of the pro-Communist organ Di naye velt (The new world), to which he had earlier contributed, and to Naye velt-emes (New world truth).  He was later one of the main contributors to Frayhayt (Freedom).  Over the years 1920-1921, he traveled to a number of European countries, as well as to Egypt and the land of Israel.  In early 1922 he seceded from the “Workers’ Party” and Frayhayt, and again became one of the chief writers for the Forverts, in which he wrote—in addition to articles on politics, social and literary topics (in his column “Tsayt notitsn” [Notices of the times]), and feature pieces—weekly surveys under the heading “Idishe interesn” (Jewish interests), initially using the pen name Rozman.  From time to time he wrote humorous sketches and popular scientific essays.  In 1927 he was selected president of the Y. L. Perets writers’ association.  In 1929 he became editor of Gerekhtikeyt (Justice), organ of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.  He also edited the large anthology Toyznt yor pinsk (1000 years of Pinsk) (New York, 1951).  He served seven terms (1917-1939) on the national executive committee of the Workmen’s Circle (for education), and for a short time was general secretary.  He was also active in People’s Relief, the Jewish Labor Committee, and many other organizations.  He was a close friend and adviser of Froym-Zalmen Atran, a Bundist who became wealthy in the United States.  Tsvien persuaded him to donate a large house in Manhattan for Jewish cultural, Bundist, and labor institutions—the Atran House—and also to set up a fund for a Yiddish chair at Columbia University.  In 1944 the local Bundist and socialist movement celebrated Tsvien’s seventieth birthday.  His book-length works include: Froyen-handl un prostitutsye (Trafficking in women and prostitution) (Vilna: Di velt, 1906), 36 pp., initially published in the monthly Dos lebn (The life) in St. Petersburg (1905); Yuhz, vilson un dos folk (Hughes, Wilson, and the people) (New York, 1916), 30 pp.; Astronomye (Astronomy) (New York, 1918), 272 pp.; Di iberboyung fun der gezelshaft nokhn krig (Reconstruction of society following the war) (New York, 1919), 80 pp.; Dos lebn fun khayes, zoologye (The life of animals, zoology) (New York, 1919), 502 pp.—this was the first major work in Yiddish in the field of zoological science, and the author was faced with numerous difficulties to overcome with terminology, searching for the names for anatomical designations that the Yiddish language possessed or to coin Yiddish forms for nomenclature in other languages; Mayn rayze keyn erets-yisroel (My voyage to the land of Israel) (Warsaw: Di velt, 1923), 194 pp.; Komunistn vos hobn oyfgegesn dem komunizm (Communists who have regretted [their affiliation with] Communism) (New York, 1923), 64 pp.; editor and compiler, Fuftsig yohr kloukmakher yunyon, 1886-1936 (Fifty year of the Cloakmakers’ Union, 1886-1936) (New York, 1936), 445 pp.; Far fuftsik yor, geklibene shriftn (Fifty years ago, selected writings), with a general introduction by F. Kurski and an article on his life and work by Kh. Sh. Kazdan (New York: A. Laub, 1948), LVI + 496 pp.  Tsvien also worked on a book entitled “Geshikhte fun di yidn in mitlalter” (History of the Jews in the Middle Ages), but it was not published.

            “Tsvien, the man,” wrote Kh. Sh. Kazdan, “was highly innovative and interesting.  He was an affable person….  You felt as if you were dealing with a superior person, to whom you should look up.  He never used the word “I” in speech.  He never ran after honors or a career, or social position….  His modesty was immense.  He knew how to measure the true greatness of a person, and he possessed great self-criticism, self-judgment….  And above all the features of his character, there reigned the chief trait: his wisdom.  His was a natural intelligence, regardless: be it in connection with a social or political matter, be it a question of purely personal counsel or a plan, or be it a purely scientific problem.  More than anything whenever he spoke in public or wrote, there rested the divine presence or wisdom.  His wisdom encompassed numerous experiences and knowledge drawn from life.  He always spoke only about that which he had fundamentally studied and analyzed.  And when this united with his calm tone, his understated humor, his optimism—this was a system of life’s wisdom, of a consistent philosophy of life.”

            “Realism—this was the realm of Tvien, the journalist and community leader,” noted Shmuel Niger, “and this was also his literary-critical program.  His entire life, he was a Marxist, but he sinned a bit from time to time against historical materialist philosophy, concerning the instruments of his literary works—concerning Hebrew, which he loved deeply, and concerning Yiddish which he knew to value—there was a perspective of a clear and sober pragmatist.”

Sources: Y. Serdatski, in Tsukunft (New York) (June 1908); A. Lyesin, in Tsukunft (November 1917); John Mill, in Tsukunft (December 1917); Dr. Chaim Zhitlovsky, in Tsukunft (June 1918); Zhitlovsky, in Tog (New York) (April 2, 1931); A. Baranov, in Tsukunft (August 1918); V. Medem, in Tsukunft (March 1921); E. Almi, in Tsayt (New York) (June 9, 1921); Der Lebediker, in Tsayt (August 21, 1921); Der Lebediker, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (July 11, 1954); B. Katsenelson, in Tsayt (December 25, 1921); Dr. N. Sirkin, in Tsayt (January 24, 1922); Y. Fishman, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 31, 1931); B. Ts. Goldberg, in Tog (December 3, 1932); Yankev Glants, in Der veg (Mexico City) (August 9, 1941); A. Revutski, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (May 8, 1942); M. Taleraz (B. Rivkin), in Tog (August 28, 1943); Moyshe Shtarkman, in Tog (April 23, 1944); Y. Baskin, in Der fraynd (New York) (May-June 1944); M. Osherovitsh, in Forverts (New York) (December 28, 1947; December 20, 1962); Kh. Sh. Kazdan, in Veker (New York) (April 15, 1948); Kazdan, Fun kheyder un shkoles biz tsisho (From religious and secular primary schools to Tsisho) (Mexico City, 1956), see index; Kazdan, Mentshn fun gayst un mut (Men of spirit and courage) (Buenos Aires: Yidbukh, 1962), pp. 311-66; F. Kurski, in Veker (October 15, 1948); Sh. L. Shnayderman, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (December 29, 1948); Shmuel Niger, in Tog (June 4, 1949; June 12, 1954); Niger, Bleter geshikhte fun der yidisher literatur (Pages of history from Yiddish literature) (New York, 1959), pp. 379-82; A. Mukdoni, in Tog (June 19, 1949); E. Novogrudski, in Unzer tsayt (New York) (June-July 1949); Y. Sh. Herts, 50 yor arbeter ring (Fifty years of the Workmen’s Circle) (New York, 1950), see index; Herts, Di yidishe sotsyalistishe bavegung in amerike, 70 yor sotsyalistishe tetikeyt, 30 yor yidishe sotsyalistishe farband (The Jewish socialist movement in America, seventy years of socialist activity, thirty years of the Jewish Socialist Union) (New York, 1954), see index; G. Aronson, in Tsukunft (May-June 1951); H. Rogof, in Forverts (June 14, 1954); Y. Pat, in Tsukunft (July-August 1954); Pat, Shmuesn mit yidishe shrayber (Conversations with Jewish writers) (Tel Aviv, 1959), pp. 225-40; D. Eynhorn, in Forverts (October 24, 1954); B. Shefner, in Forverts (October 30, 1954); Shefner, Novolipye 7, zikhroynes un eseyen (Nowolipie 7, memoirs and essays) (Buenos Aires, 1955), pp. 170-76; Di geshikhte fun bund (The history of the Bund) (New York, 1960), pp. 263-323; L. Fogelman, in Forverts (November 22, 1964); D. Shub, in Forverts (February 28, 1965; March 14, 1965; May 30, 1965; June 20, 1965); Yefim Yeshurin, 100 yor moderne yidishe literatur, biblyografisher tsushteyer (100 years of modern Yiddish literature, bibliographical contribution) (New York, 1966), pp. 97, 194, 195, 521; Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature) (Merḥavya, 1967).

Leyb Vaserman