YISROEL-LEYB LOYFER

YISROEL-LEYB LOYFER (1897-April 1942)

            He was born in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, near Lodz, Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school and synagogue study hall, and with private tutors he acquired secular knowledge.  In 1921 he settled in Opotshne (Opoczno), where he took up business.  At the same time he was an active leader among the right Labor Zionists and a representative of them in the city council.  In 1928 he moved to Paris and from there to Antwerp, Belgium.  He wrote Hassidic tales for Tomashover vokhnblat (Tomaszów weekly newspaper) in 1925, and later published stories and correspondence pieces on Jewish life in Belgium in: Nayer folksblat (New people’s newspaper) in Lodz; Yidishe prese (Jewish press) and Belgishe bleter (Belgian pages) in Antwerp; Yidish vokh (Jewish week) and Belgishe tog (Belgian day) in Brussels; Unzer vort (Our word), Di naye tsayt (The new time), and Parizer haynt (Paris today) in Paris.  He served as the Belgian correspondent for Dos vort (The word) in Warsaw.  During WWII he lived illegally in Antwerp.  On April 10, 1942, the Gestapo seized him and together with Dr. Y. B. Tsipur and Beynish Zilbershteyn, he was deported to Auschwitz and murdered there.

Sources: Y. Ts. Lemel, in Der amerikaner (New York) (December 3, 1946); A. Dorf, in Unzer vort (Brussels) (February 7, 1947; April 18, 1947); information from Moyshe Dluzhnovski and Dovid Lehrer in New York.

Khayim Leyb Fuks