SHMUEL MILMAN

SHMUEL MILMAN (October 26, 1896-July 19, 1983)

            He was born in Lodz, Poland.  He attended religious elementary school and a Russian public school.  In his youth he worked as a sign painter.  Until WWII he was active in the Lodz committee of the Bund.  For many years he was a Bundist city councilman and municipal councilor to city hall in Lodz.  He was secretary of the national council of Jewish trade unions in Poland and a member of senior council of the general textile union in Lodz.  When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, he escaped to Vilna and from there (over Soviet Russia and Japan) made his in late 1940 to the United States.  He was executive secretary of the American ORT (Association for the Promotion of Skilled Trades) and visited Latin America, Europe, and the state of Israel on its behalf.  He wrote correspondence pieces on Jewish workers’ lives in Lodz for Lebens-fragen (Life issues) in Warsaw (1916), and he later contributed to: Lodzher veker (Lodz alarm) (1921-1938); Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper), Dos profesyonele lebn (The trade union life), and Der sherer-arbeter (The barber) in Lodz; Unzer tsayt (Our times) and Doyres bundistn (Generations of Bundists) in New York; Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal; Foroys (Onward), Der veg (The way), and Di shtime (The voice) in Mexico City; Unzer shtime (Our voice) in Paris; Lodzher yizker-bukh (Lodz remembrance volume) (New York, 1943), pp. 11-46; the revived Folkstsaytung in Warsaw-Lodz (1946-1948); Historisher zamlbukh (Historical anthology), fiftieth anniversary of the Bund (Warsaw, 1947), pp. 60-62.  He died in New York.

Sources: Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (July 12, 1955); Fuks, in Fun noentn over (New York) 3 (1957), see index; Y. Sh. Herts, Di geshikhte fun bund in lodz (The history of the Bund in Lodz) (New York, 1958), see index; A. V. Yasni, Di geshikhte fun yidn in lodzh in di yorn fun der daytsher yidn-oysrotung (The history of Jews of Lodz in the years of the Germany extermination of Jews) (Tel Aviv, 1960), see index; Y. Yeshurin, Arbeter-ring boyer un tuer (Builders and leaders of the Workmen’s Circle) (New York, 1962), p. 237; Biblyografye fun yidishe bikher vegn khurbn un gvure (Bibliography of Yiddish books concerning the Holocaust and heroism) (New York, 1962), see index.

Khayim Leyb Fuks