ARYE-LEYB SHUSHAYM (A. L. SCHUSHEIM)

ARYE-LEYB SHUSHAYM (A. L. SCHUSHEIM) (July 9, 1878-February 13, 1955)

            He was a journalist, born in Redim (Radymno), Galicia.  He attended religious elementary school and yeshiva.  In 1905 he was one of the founders and leaders of the Labor Zionists in Galicia and Austria.  In Cracow he specialized in basket weaving.  In 1908 he was living in Stanisle (Stanislavov), later in Lemberg and Vienna, and in 1926 he emigrated to Argentina.  He began his journalistic work for Avrom Reyzen’s weekly newspaper Dos yudishe vort (The Jewish word); in 1906-1907 he edited the Labor Zionist weekly Der yudisher arbayter (The Jewish laborer) in Vienna (later, Lemberg).  He also contributed to Cracow’s local organ Der yud (The Jew).  In 1911 he edited Stanislavov’s Der yud with Meyer Henish, later for a short time Viner morgentsaytung (Vienna morning newspaper), and in late 1918 Dos yudishe vort, a semi-weekly which appeared for three months.  He also wrote for: Yidisher kempfer (Jewish fighter), Di yudisher virklikhkeyt (Jewish reality), Varhayt (Truth) in New York, Togblat (Daily newspaper) in Lemberg, Arbatyer tsaytung (Workers’ newspaper) in Warsaw, Arbayter velt (Workers’ world) in Cracow (later, Warsaw), Di idishe emigratsye (Jewish emigration), Oyfsnay (Afresh) in Buenos Aires, Kiem (Existence) in Paris, and Unzer tsayt (Our time) in Buenos Aires, among others.  Shushaym’s rise in journalistic activity began in 1927, when he joined the editorial board of the daily Dos idishe tsaytung (The Jewish newspaper) and became one of its principal contributors, and with his articles and essays helped to give form to the spiritual-cultural life of the Argentinian Jewish community.  He placed longer works in: Yoyvl-bukh, sakhakln fun 50 yohr idish leben in argentine, lekoved di idishe tsaytung tsu ihr 25 yohrigen yubileum (Jubilee volume, a summing up of fifty years of Jewish life in Argentina, in honor of Di yidishe tsaytung on its twenty-fifth-year jubilee) (Buenos Aires, 1940); V. Bresler, Antologye fun der yidisher literatur in argentine (Anthology of Jewish literature in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1944); and the yearbook of the Jewish community of Buenos Aires; among others.  In book form: Menakhem usishkin (Menakhem Ussishkin) (Buenos Aires, 1942), 31 pp.; Fun kleyne un groyse zakhn, a zamlung eseyen, artiklen un felyetonen (Of smaller and larger things, a collection of essays, articles, and feuilletons) (Buenos Aires, 1949), 486 pp.; Tsu der geshikhte fun yidishn yishev in argentine (On the history of the Jewish community in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1954), 77 pp.  He translated: Meyer Balaban’s Di yidn-shtot lublin (The Jewish city of Lublin) (Buenos Aires, 1947), 191 pp.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Avrom Reyzen, Epizodn fun mayn lebn (Episodes from my life), vol. 3 (New York, 1935), pp. 21-22; Shmuel Rozhanski and Yoysef Horn, in Idishe tsaytung (Buenos Aires) (February 14-15, 1955); Shoyel Sokal, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (March 4, 1955); Meylekh Ravitsh, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (May 15, 1955); Meyer Henish, in Davar (Tel Aviv) (Adar 22 [= March 16], 1955); Getzel Kressel, in Davar (May 20, 1955); Borekh Hager, in Tsukunft (New York) (September 1972); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Yoysef Horn