SHMUEL-MEYER SHAPIRO

SHMUEL-MEYER SHAPIRO (September 16, 1887-July 4, 1958)

            He was a journalist, born in Mozir (Mozyrsky Uyezd), Minsk Province.  He received a fervently religious education.  He graduated from a technical school in Minsk.  In 1906 he made his way to Toronto.  He was one of the pioneers of the Yiddish press in Canada.  From 1911 he was contributing to: Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal, the weekly Dos folk (The people), and Der veg (The way).  From 1913 he was an internal contributor to Toronto’s daily newspaper Der idisher zhurnal (The Jewish journal), and over the years 1932-1957 he was its editor-in-chief.  In it he published humorous sketches, stories, and novels (under the pen name B. Barats)—among other, Di sheyne rivke (The beautiful Rebecca).  He also edited the humor weekly Der mazik (The mischievous child) in Toronto (1920).  He used the pen name: Shamesh.  He died in Toronto.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Benyomen-Gutel Zak, in Goldener yoyvl-bukh keneder odler (Golden jubilee volume for Keneder odler) (Montreal, 1957); Nakhmen Shemen, in Amerikaner (New York) (August 22, 1958); Yisroel Rabinovitsh, in Keneder older (Montreal) (November 9, 1959); archives in the Montreal Jewish Public Library.

Khayim Leyb Fuks