SHMUEL BERKOVITSH

SHMUEL BERKOVITSH (1894-October 5, 1937)

He was born in Sosnovits (Sosnowiec), Poland, and graduated from the local senior high school.  He studied medicine in Zurich, Switzerland, and political economy in Vienna.  From early youth, he was active in the Bund.  He worked as a teacher in Jewish high schools in Vilna and Sosnovits.  He was the leader of the Bundist school named for B. Mikhalevitsh and of the speakers school for the “Tsukunftistn” (Bundist youth).  He was a member of the board of the Kultur-lige (Culture league) and a lecturer at the People’s University in political economy.  He was a contributor to publications of the Central Committee of the Bund.  He published his writings on the conditions of Jewish laborers in Dos virtshaftlekhe lebn (The economic life) in Warsaw; on Marxism and economic issues in Undzer tsayt (Our times), Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm), Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper), Vokhnshrift far literatur (Weekly writing on literature), and Foroys (Onward)—in Warsaw.  In 1947 the Bundists in Lodz published his work: Historisher materyalizm (Historical materialism) in hectographic form, 14 pp., as no. 2 in a socialist youth library.  He died in Warsaw.

Sources: Naye folkstsaytung (Warsaw) (October 7-8, 1937); Yugnt-veker (Warsaw) 23 (October 15, 1937).