AVROM KASPE (July 1861-June 2, 1929)
He was
born, with the surname Mints, in Tsherikov (Cherykaw), Mogilev
Province. His family were descendants of
the Spanish Jewish scholar Yosef Kaspe.
His father was a preacher who was murdered while on the road. He studied in religious elementary school,
yeshivas, and a Russian public school.
He graduated from high school in Vilna.
In 1882 he left for the United States with the group “Am Olam” (Eternal
people [Russian Jewish agricultural colonists]). He returned to Russia in 1888 and graduated
from the natural science and mathematics faculty of St. Petersburg
University. In 1894 he emigrated once
again to New York, where he received his medical degree. He was a genuine folk doctor, greatly helping
his poor patients with medical supplies and treating them for free. He was active in the American Jewish
socialist movement. He contributed
popular science and literary articles to: Der
idisher hoyz-doktor (The Jewish house-doctor) in Warsaw; Sotsyal-demokrat (Social democrat) in
1900; Tsukunft (Future) which he
co-edited for half a year in 1902; Di
naye tsayt (The new times); Abend blat
(Evening newspaper); Literatur un leben
(Literature and life); and Emes
(Truth) in Boston; among others. He was
one of the first contributors to the Forverts
(Forward) and made his actual writing debut there. In his last years, he grew close to the
Jewish Communists and wrote for Frayhayt
(Freedom). In book form: Mekhanike, astronomye, khemya
(Mechanics, astronomy, chemistry) (New York: International library, 1899-1900),
3 vols.; Fizik (Physics) (New York,
1914), 109 pp., subsequent editions in 1916 and 1917; Geologye (Geology) (New York: Education Committee of the Workmen’s Circle,
1918), 2 parts, 100 pp., 96 pp.; Di
geshikhlakhe antviklung fun klasn gezelshaft (The historical development of
class society) (New York: Union Square, 1929), 284 pp., comprised of a series
of articles published in Frayhayt
(January-February 1936). He died in New
York.
Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Literarishe
bleter (Warsaw) 35 (1929); Tsukunft
(New York) (July 29, 1929), an obituary; Av. Cahan, Bleter fun mayn leben (Pages from my life), vol. 3 (New York,
1926), p. 463; Yoyel Entin, in Morgn-zhurnal
(New York) (October 17, 1943); American
Jewish Yearbook (New York, 1929).
Yekhezkl Lifshits
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