KHAYIM (CHAIM) PLOTNIK

KHAYIM PLOTNIK (September 20, 1910-1996)

            He was born in Ruzhan (Różan), Poland.  He attended both religious elementary school and public school.  He began working in the tailoring business in his youth. He was active in the left Labor Zionist movement.  In 1927 he came to the United States and worked in sweatshops.  He served in the American army in WWII.  He took part in the invasion of Normandy and on other fronts.  He debuted in print in 1929 in the journal Tsuzamen (Together).  From 1930 he was publishing poetry and stories in: Morgn frayhayt (Morning freedom), Signaln (Signals), Hamer (Hammer), Gerekhtikeyt (Justice), Yidish amerike (Jewish America), Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture), Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal), Zamlungen (Collections) of which he was a cofounder, and Zayn (Being).  In Morgn frayhayt and Yidishe kultur, he published chapters of a novel.  His books include: Af mayne vegn (Along my roads) (Tel Aviv: Perets Pub;., 1978), 183 pp.; and Mit ofene oygn (With open eyes), poetry (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1984), 307 pp.  He was last living in New York.

Source: N. Mayzil, Amerike in yidishn vort (America in the Yiddish work) (New York, 1955), see index.

Benyomen Elis

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 431.]