KHAYIM LEYB POZNANSKI

KHAYIM LEYB POZNANSKI (June 3, 1879-autumn 1939)

            He was born in Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine.  He received a Jewish and a general education.  From his youth he was linked to the revolutionary workers’ movement in Russia.  From 1902 he was an active leader in the Bund.  In Kiev, Berdichev, Lodz, and other cities, he engaged in Bundist work.  From 1910 until his arrest, he was living in Lodz, where he was chairman of the union of commercial employees.  He founded the “school and popular education association.”  During WWI he established the first secular Jewish school in Lodz, and he served as both a teacher and director there.  He was a member of the presidium of Tsisho (Central Jewish School Organization) in Poland.  His literary initiation was writing proclamations during the years of the first Russian Revolution.  He later became a contributor to: Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper) in Vilna (1905-1906); Di tsayt (The times) in St. Petersburg; Lebns-fragn (Life issues) (1915-1919), Tsayt-fragn (Problems of the times), Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper), and Foroys (Onward) in Warsaw; and other Bundist publications.  He served as editor of Lodzher veker (Lodz alarm) (1921-1934).  In book form, he published: Memuarn fun a bundist (Memoirs of a Bundist) (Warsaw, 1938), 314 pp.  Among his pen names: -ron and Aba Ben Moyshe.  In the first days of September 1939, he was arrested by the Gestapo.  He was killed in an area of a glass factory in Radogoszcz, near Lodz. 

Sources: L. Berman, in Foroys (Warsaw) (June 10, 1938); Moyshe Shtarkman, in Tog (New York) (August 2, 1938); Shmuel Niger, Kidesh hashem (Sanctification of the name) (New York, 1947), pp. 304-6; F. Kurski, Gezamlte shriftn (Collected writings) (New York, 1952); Sh. Milman, in Doyres bundistn (Generations of Bundists), vol. 1 (New York, 1956), p. 431; Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Fun noentn over (New York) 3 (1957), see index; Menaḥem Poznanski, Demuyot melavot, sipurim (Compulsory figures, stories) (Tel Aviv, 1958); Kh. Sh. Kazdan, Mentshn fun gayst un mut (Men of spirit and courage) (Buenos Aires, 1962), pp. 367-89.

Khayim Leyb Fuls