NOSN (NATAN) MELTSER

NOSN (NATAN) MELTSER (b. August 7, 1892)

            He was born in Burshtin (Burštýn), Galicia, the son of the Hebrew writer and Zionist leader Sholem Meltser.  He received a traditional Jewish and secular education.  After graduating from an Austrian government high school in Lemberg, he studied in Germany and graduated from Leipzig University with a doctorate of philosophy.  He served as a lieutenant in the Austrian army.  In his student years, he became involved in the Zionist movement.  He began writing in 1909 for the Polish monthly Morija (Moriah) in Lemberg.  In 1918 he published an article in the Polish Jewish daily newspaper Nowy dziennik (New daily) in Cracow, and from that point he wrote (also using such pseudonyms as: N. Ben-Sholem, Gamma, and Epo) for Polish, German, Hebrew, and Yiddish newspapers, among them: Jüdische Rundschau (Jewish review) in Berlin; Folk un land (People and country) in Warsaw-Lodz; and Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter) in New York.  In 1919 he was a member of the editorial board of the Lemberg Polish-Jewish daily newspaper Chwila (Moment).  He was editor (1919-1920) of Togblat (Daily newspaper) in Lemberg.  In 1920 he published and edited the biweekly Dos fraye vort (The free word) in Lemberg—only two issues appeared in print.  From July 1, 1924 until September 1925, he served as editor of the weekly central organ of the Zionist Workers’ Party (Histadrut) Folk un land.  In 1926 he was editor of the Lemberg-based weekly Unzer ruf (Our call)—four issues appeared.  From April 1931 until the end of 1933, he edited the Zionist socialist organ Dos fraye vort, a weekly, in Lemberg.  In book form: Dr maks binenshtok, a zamlshrift vegn zayn lebn un shafn (Dr. Max Binenshtok, a collection of writings about his life and works) (Lemberg, 1924), 36 pp.  In 1935 he made aliya to the land of Israel.  From 1948 he assumed the position of head secretary of the Histadrut Hapekidim (Clerks’ Council).  Due to illness, he was compelled in 1948 to pull back from societal activities.  He contributed to: Davar (Word), Hapoel hatsayir (The young laborer), and Shurot (Ranks), among other serials, in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO), vol. 1 (Warsaw, 1928); P. Vyernik, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (April 19, 1931).

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