SHLOYME LUBETKIN

SHLOYME LUBETKIN (January 25, 1910-November 1, 1983)

            He was born in Biten (Byteń), near Baranovich, Byelorussia.  He studied in religious primary school and in the Slobodka Yeshiva.  In 1931 he moved to Warsaw, studied humanities in university, and at the same time was active in the Zionist movement.  When the Nazis invaded Poland, he fled to Vilna and from there to Russia.  In 1942, as a soldier in the Polish army of General Władysław Anders, he arrived in Israel where he worked for the press and held conferences for the information service of the Israeli government.  In 1961 he moved to the United States.  His journalistic career began with articles in Haynt (Today) in Warsaw (1937), and from that point he contributed work to: Kino (Cinema) in Polish (Tel Aviv); the magazines, Gazit (Hewn stone), Perakim (Chapters), and Ḥefa haovedet (Haifa working); and the newspapers, Davar (Word), Hador (The generation), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Haboker (This morning)—all in Israel; Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day morning journal) in which he also published a novel about life in the state of Israel during the war of liberation, Der amerikaner (The American), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Pyonern-froy (Pioneering woman), and Hadoar (The mail)—in New York.  In Pinkes biten (Records of Byteń) (Buenos Aires, 1954), pp. 188-92, he authored the description “Mayne bitener melamdim” (My Byteń schoolteachers).  In book form: Publitsistn (Journalists), monographs on A. Eynhorn, Dr. Y. Gotlib, V. Zhabotinsky, Dr. Shiye Thon, B. Yushzon, A. L. Riklis (A. S. Lirik), Y. M. Nayman, Sh. Y. Stupnitski, and Hillel Tsaytlin, among others (Warsaw, 1937), 132 pp.; Giborim beyisrael (Great men in Yisrael) (Tel Aviv, 1948), 180 pp.; Reshut hadibur laben, sipur (The right to speak to the son, a story) (Tel Aviv, 1957), 210 pp.; Yehudit (Judith), a novel (Tel Aviv, 1958), 484 pp.; Amerikai bemoskva, sipur ahava verigul (American in Moscow, a story of love and espionage) (Tel Aviv, 1959), 154 pp.  He was a brother of the Warsaw Ghetto fighter Tsvia Lubetkin.  He died in New York.

Sources: Literarishe bleter (Warsaw) (June 25, 1937); Yivo-bleter (Vilna) 13.1-2 (1938); Sefer hashana shel haitonaim (The annual of newspapers) (Tel Aviv, 1960/1961); Hadoar (New York) (Adar 1 [= February 17], 1961).

Khayim Leyb Fuks