YANKEV PAYKIN

YANKEV PAYKIN

            He came from Vitebsk, Byelorussia.  He studied economics and demography at St. Petersburg University.  From his student years he was active in the revolutionary movement.  After the October Revolution, he was active in the Vitebsk region.  He was chairman of the regional committee of Yidgezkom (Jewish Social Committee [for the Relief of Victims of War, Pogroms, and Natural Disasters]).  He visited Birobidzhan several times.  He published in the field of Jewish demography following the October Revolution in Byelorussia—among other places, in: Royter shtern (Red star) in Vitebsk (1920-1923) of which he was a member of the editorial board; Yedies fun idopteyl baym vitebsker idgezkom (News of the Jewish department at the Vitebsk Jewish Social Committee) (Vitebsk, 1922) of which he was also editor; Oktyabr (October) and Shtern (Star) in Minsk; Emes (Truth) in Moscow; and others.  In Tsaytshrift (Periodical) 4 (1930), pp. 147-97, he published his work: “Eynike sakhaklen fun der demografisher tseylung fun 1926” (Some figures on demographic counts for 1926).  During the years of WWII, he lived in Moscow and was a member of historical commission with the Anti-Fascist Committee, and he was a regular contributor to Eynikeyt (Unity) in Moscow.  At the time of the arrests in 1948, he was exiled to an unknown camp and, it seems, there he died.  Further biographical information remains unknown.

Sources: Eynikeyt (Moscow) (March 2, 1946); Chone Shmeruk, comp., Pirsumim yehudiim babrit-hamoatsot, 1917-1961 (Jewish publications in the Soviet Union, 1917-1961) (Jerusalem, 1961), see index.

Khayim Leyb Fuks