KHAYIM (HYMAN) GRUSHKIN

KHAYIM (HYMAN) GRUSHKIN (October 18, 1892-October 17, 1971)

            He was born in Ostrove (Ostrów), Lomzhe region, Poland, into a well-to-do family.  He studied in religious elementary school, later in the Lomzhe yeshiva.  For a longer time he lived in Warsaw, where he worked as a typesetter.  At that time he was active in the Jewish Zionist socialist party.  After the failed revolution of 1905, he emigrated to the United States and there continued his studies.  He graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University in New York.  He was an active leader in the Labor Zionist movement in America.  He was president of the typesetters’ union in New York.  In his youth, he wrote revolutionary poetry and proclamations.  He debuted in print with a treatise entitled “Der arbeter-tsienizm” (Workers’ Zionism) in the monthly Der pyoner (The pioneer) (New York, 1925).  He contributed articles on Jewish and Zionist issues, as well as treatises on medical questions to such serials as: Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Forverts (Forward), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Nyu yorker vokhnblat (New York weekly newspaper), Morgn frayhayt (Morning freedom), Der pyoner, Gezund un stark (Healthy and strong), Unzer gezund (Our health), and Gezund-almanakh (Health almanac)—all in New York.  He served on the editorial boards for Der pyoner (1925), Gezund un shtark (1932-1933), and Gezund almanakh (1945-1951), and he was the author of the pamphlet, Poyle tsienizm nokh der antshteyung fun medines yisroel (Labor Zionism after the rise of the state of Israel) (New York, 1954), 16 pp.  He was living until his death in New York.