ZEV-VOLF BRESLER

ZEV-VOLF BRESLER (October 22, 1892-March 21, 1983)

            He was born in Lodz and studied at a religious primary school and a prayer house for Gerer Hassidim.  In 1909 he began to acquire a secular education.  He founded Ḥevre meorere yeshanim (Society to awaken the sleeping) with the goal of spreading secular education among the lads in the synagogue study halls.  He took part in the drama section of Lodz’s Hazamir (The nightingale) and acted in Hebrew theater.  In 1920 he published in Lodz, with Heshl Yedvab, Aḥdut-yisrael (Unity of Israel), a Zionist weekly newspaper, in which he published his first articles on Zionist themes.  In 1928 he was in Warsaw and published articles in Yidishe hantverker (Jewish artisan).  In 1930 he emigrated to Latin America.  He stayed for a short in Santiago, China.  From 1933 he was living in Buenos Aires.  He contributed to: Lodzher folksblat (Lodz people’s newspaper), Yidishe vokhnblat (Jewish weekly newspaper) in Santiago, Di prese (The press) and Der shpigl (The mirror) in Buenos Aires, Brazilyaner yidishe tsaytung (Brazilian Jewish newspaper), and others as well.  He wrote theater criticism and feature articles.  Among his books: Monish—nekht haynt un morgn, a muzikalish stsenish peretsyade in dray aktn (Monish, yesterday, today, and tomorrow—a musically staged Peretziana in three acts) (Buenos Aires, 1935), 72 pp.; Ven ben guryon iz antlofn (When Ben-Gurion escaped), a play in three acts (Buenos Aires, 1953), 80 pp.  He edited: Penemer un penemlekh (Appearances, big and small) (Buenos Aires, 1935); Argentiner lebn (Argentine life), biweekly serial (Buenos Aires, 1954); Leksikon fun idishe gezelshaftlekhe tuer in argentine (Handbook of Jewish social leader in Argentina), three volumes (Buenos Aires, 1941-1943).  In 1944 he founded the publishing house “Yidish.”  In 1952 he published in Rio de Janeiro Leksikon fun yidishe gezelshaftlekhe askonim un kultur-tuer (Handbook of Jewish social workers and cultural leaders).  He died in Buenos Aires.