YITSKHOK KAPLAN

YITSKHOK KAPLAN (October 20, 1878-May 7, 1976)

            He was a journalist and member of an agrarian cooperative, born in Svislotsh (Swislocz), Grodno Province.  Raised in a religious home, he and his family were brought in 1895 by YIKO (Jewish Cultural Organization) to the Baron Hirsch colonies in Argentina.  There he became a farmer.  He was among the initial founders, theoretical and practical, of agrarian cooperatives in Argentina and a pioneer in local Jewish colonization.  He was among the Zionist precursors in the country and also active in general Jewish life.  From 1909 he was writing for: Der yudisher kolonist in argentine (The Jewish colonist in Argentina), Idishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), Di idishe velt (The Jewish world), Argentiner yivo-shriftn (Argentinian YIVO writings), and from 1953 Di prese (The press).  His books include: Opklangen fun altn kheyder (Echoes of the old religious elementary school) (Buenos Aires, 1858), 348 pp., entitled in Hebrew Tselile haḥeder hayashan (Tel Aviv, 1964), 296 pp.; Yidishe kolonyes in argentine, zikhroynes fun an agrar-kooperativist (Jewish colonies in Argentina, memoirs of an agrarian cooperativist) (Buenos Aires, 1966), 576 pp.; Recuerdos de un agrario cooperativista, 1895-1925 (Memoirs of an agrarian cooperativist, 1895-1925) (Buenos Aires, 1969).  He also brought out a series of pamphlets: Der kooperativizm in der tsukunft (Cooperativism in the future) (Buenos Aires, 1943), 38 pp.; Unzer bayshtayer tsu der farshpreytung un farfestikung fun kooperativizm (Our contribution to the spread and bastion of cooperativism) (Buenos Aires, 1944), 36 pp.; Hant-bikhl fun kooperativizm (Handbook of cooperativism) (Buenos Aires, 1945), 32 pp.; and Di noytikeyt fun gaystiker opfrishung (The necessity of spiritual renewal) (Buenos Aires, n.d.), 32 pp.; among others.  Over the years 1921-1946, he served as editor of the journal Kolonist-kooperator (Colonist-cooperative member), to which he contributed articles in subsequent years as well.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: L. Zhitnitski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (October 19, 1966); Goldener bukh fun yidishn argentine (Golden book of Jewish Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1973), p. 49.

Yoysef Horn