LEON KAMEYKA

LEON KAMEYKA (April 13, 1864-October 28, 1928)

            He was born (with the Jewish name: Arye-Leyb) in Vilkovishk (Vilkaviškis), Lithuania.  He was a publisher of Yiddish newspapers in the United States.  He was the son of the Vilkovishk rabbi, R’ Dov-Ber, and son-in-law of Kasriel Sorezon.  He was a partner with his father-in-law in publishing Yudishe gazeten (Jewish gazette) and Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper), Chicago’s Idisher kuryer (Jewish courier), and the Hebrew-language weekly Haivri (The Jew).  From 1904 he was among the publishers as well of Morgn zhurnal (Morning journal).  He was active in the Jewish community and at one time the vice-president of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).  He died in Watkins Glen, New York.

Sources: Moyshe Shtarkman, in Yorbukh fun amopteyl fun yivo (Yearbook of the American division of YIVO), vol. 1 (New York, 1938), pp. 275-77; Y. Magidov, Der shpigl fun der ist said (The mirror of the East Side) (New York, 1923), pp. 183-87; American Jewish Yearbook (1929).

Yekhezkl Lifshits