MEYER-BOREKH
MENDELSBERG (April 17, 1890-March 1, 1955)
Also known as M. Matlin, he was born
in Zegzhe (Zegrze), Warsaw district, Poland.
His father was a purveyor for the Tsarist army and ran a tavern. In his youth Mendelsberg was captivated by
socialist ideas and became a member of the Zionist Socialist Party. In 1912 he made his way to the United States
and worked in a shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts. Around 1916 he moved to Chicago where he
worked in the production of women’s purses.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, he returned to Russia and was
active in the party of the “Fareynikte” (United socialists). In late 1918 he came back to Warsaw, where he
served as secretary to the central committee of the Fareynikte in Poland. He wrote articles for Unzer veg (Our way), “central organ of the Jewish socialist labor
party in Poland” (for which he served as editor for a time), and also for Unzer vort (Our word) in Warsaw
(1919-1920). Around 1922 he was
secretary for the Warsaw Jewish journalists’ association. In 1924 he returned to the United States and
worked in New York in his former trade.
He was active in the union of the “pocket book makers” (serving as
secretary for the union for a time), in the Sholem Aleichem Folk Institute, in
the Socialist Party, and in IKOR (Yidishe
kolonizatsye organizatsye in rusland [Jewish colonization organization in
Russia]). He was also a devoted leader
in the Freeland League and an enthusiastic territorialist until the last days
of his life. He published (also under
such pseudonyms as A. Laykhter and Matlin) articles in: Afn shvel (At the threshold), Fraye
arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), Sotsyalistishe
shtime (Socialist voice), and union publications. His articles in the union newspapers also appeared
in English. He died in New York.
Sources:
Z. Khabotski, A. Khrablovski, Miriam Mendelsberg-Kharberg, and Nosn Khofshi, in
Afn shvel (Mexico City-New York) (March-April
1955); oral information from Dr. Ezriel Naks in New York.
Zaynvl Diamant
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