MORTKHE POGORELSKI

MORTKHE POGORELSKI (September 1884-June 3, 1961)

            He was born in Bialystok and attended a “cheder metukan” (improved religious elementary school).  He also became active there in “Pirḥe Tsiyon” (Flowers of Zion), Labor Zionism, and the Socialist Territorialist Party.  He was a cofounder of a library, reading room, and Perets Children’s Home.  In late 1916 he immigrated to the United States and settled in New York.  In 1933 he became a resident of Los Angeles.  In both cities, he remained active in the community, often contributing to New York’s Byalistoker shtime (Voice of Bialystok).  Among other items, he published in it: “Zikhroynes fun a byalistoker esesovets” (Memoirs of a Bialystok Zionist socialist) (1941).  In Byalistoker fraynd (Bialystok friend), he published: “Di poyle-tsien minsker rikhtung in byalistok” (The Labor Zionist Minsk direction in Bialystok) (March 1950).  He published articles in Der idisher kemfer (The Jewish fighter) and Afn shvel (At the threshold).  He was commended by YIVO for his autobiographical descriptions in “Far vos ikh bin avek fun der alter heym un vos hob ikh dergreykht in amerike” (Why I left the old home and what I have accomplished in America), Byalistoker shtime (1948).  He was awarded by YIVO in 1954 for “Additional autobiography, 1942-1952.”  He left in manuscript: “Vegn byalistoker zelbshuts” (On self-defense in Bialystok) and “Geshikhte fun tsienistish-sotsyalistishe bavegungen in byalistok” (History of the Zionist-socialist movements in Bialystok).  He died in Los Angeles.

Source: Byalistoker shtime (New York) (September 1961), pp. 45-46.

Elye (Elias) Shulman