ZKHARYE-MESHULEM KERSHTEYN

ZKHARYE-MESHULEM KERSHTEYN (September 7, 1901-November 1969)

            He was born in Antwerp.  He studied in yeshivas in London and New York.  In 1921 he ultimately settled in the United States.  He was a leading member of “Hapoel hamizraḥi” (Mizrachi workers) and vice-president of the Jewish book council in America.  From 1934 he was serving as editor of Buletin (Bulletin) of the Bloch Publishing Company, concerning new Yiddish and Hebrew books and English-language Judaica.  He began writing in Yiddish in 1917.  From time to time, he contributed articles and biographies to Di tsayt (The times) in London; and Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), Di mizrakhi-shtime (The voice of Mizraḥi) (1924-1928), Der mizrakhi veg (The Mizraḥi way), and Unzer shtime (Our voice) in New York; the trilingual Yorbukh (Yearbook); and other serials.  He also wrote in German and English.  He wrote a long work entitled “Yidishe biblyotekn un bikher-kolektsyes in amerikaner yidishe un algemeyne kultur-institutsyes” (Jewish libraries and book collections in American Jewish and general cultural institutions), Jewish Book Annual 3 (1944-1945) and 4 (1945-1946), 35 pp.  Pen names: Meshulekh and Ben-Yitskhok.  He died in New York.

Sources: Sh. Grus, in Hadoar (New York) (Kislev 11 [= November 21], 1969); Who Is Who in American Jewry (1935; 1964); Jewish Book Annual (New York) (1944-1945).

Yekhezkl Lifshits