ZELIK BROSHI (BZHOSTOVYETSKI)

ZELIK BROSHI (BZHOSTOVYETSKI) (b. April 18, 1907)

He was born in Stawiski, Lomzhe (Łomża) region.  He studied in religious primary school and for a short time in the Lomzhe yeshiva.  He graduated from a Hebrew high school named for Dr. Y. Epshteyn in Vilna.  He attended the teachers’ seminary there run by Tarbut.  In 1928 he emigrated to Antwerp, Belgium.  That year he first published in the local Yidishe prese (Jewish press).  He wrote current events pieces, literary criticism, and historical treatises in: Belgisher tog (Belgian day), Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), and in French Jewish newspapers.  Over the years 1931-1932, he edited (together with Dr. M. L. Kubovitski) the monthly Folk un arbet (People and work); in 1935, the weekly Undzer vort (Our word); and for a short time Yidishe prese.  He corresponded for Baderekh (On the road), Iton (Newspaper), and Dos naye vort (The new word) in Warsaw; Naye tsayt (New times) in Paris; Yidishe shtime (Jewish voice) in Kovno; and Davar (Word) in Tel Aviv—among others.  He was active in Antwerp in community and cultural-literary fields: secretary of Poale-Tsiyon and Tseire tsiyon (Zionist youth), teacher in the Hebrew public school, a member of the YIVO division, Brit Ivrit Olamit (“World Association for Hebrew Language and Culture”), and similar groups.  In 1939 he emigrated to the United States.  In New York, he served as editorial secretary for Bitsaron (Fortress).  He published in: Hadoar (The mail), Shevile haḥinukh (Paths of education), Yidisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Tsukunft (Future), Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s journal), Forverts (Forward), Tog (Day), Pyonern-froyen (Pioneer women), and Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal).  He also authored: R. Sadye geon, zayn lebn un shafn 882-942 (R. Saadya Gaon, his life and works, 882-942) (New York, 1945), 174 pp.  He received the Zvi Kessel Prize in 1947 in Mexico.  He was living in New York.  [He wrote another dozen or so books in Hebrew on topics of biblical and post-biblical religious history—JAF.]

Sources: N. Y. Gotlib, in Keneder odler (May 13, 1946); M. B. Granit, in Der veg (Mexico) (January 3, 1948); L. Halpern, in Dos yidishe lebn (Montevideo) (March 1, 1947); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (October 27, 1946); Y. Entin, in Yidisher kemfer (September 19, 1941); Z. Shuster, in Tog (August 31, 1940).