PINKHES SHVARTS

PINKHES SHVARTS (September 1, 1902-December 14, 1963)

            A journalist and author, he was born in Plotsk (Płock), Poland.  His original surname was Kruk.  He attended religious elementary schools, a Russian public school, and a Polish Jewish high school.  In the early 1920s he moved to Warsaw.  He was part of Hashomer Hatsair (Young pioneer) for a short time, later devoted his entire life to the Bund in leadership positions.  In 1940 he reached the United States, and in 1947 he became the executive director of the World Jewish Culture Congress and over the years 1953-1962 of YIVO.  Around 1919 he began to write for Sotsyalistishe yugnt-shtime (Voice of socialist youth) and several years later in the daily and periodical Bundist press.  He published reportage pieces, labor news, and articles on important political and criminal trials, among other topics.  For a long time, he was the night editor of Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper) and a member of the editorial board of Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm).  He also wrote for Foroys (Onward) in Warsaw.  He later contributed to: Unzer tsayt (Our time), Tsukunft (Future), Foroys (Mexico City), and elsewhere.  In Fun noentn over (From the recent past) (New York) 2 (1956), he placed a monograph on Folkstsaytung.  A longer work of his, Di revolutsyonere arbet fun “bund” in der tsarisher armey (The revolutionary work of the Bund in the Tsarist army), was destroyed in Warsaw—several chapters were published in Yivo-bleter (Pages from YIVO) in 1962.  In book form: Yuzef Pilsudski, zayn batsiung tsu der yidn-frage un zayn kamf kegn “bund” (1893-1905) (Józef Piłsudski, his attitude toward the Jewish question and his struggle against the Bund, 1893-1905) (Warsaw, 1936), 290 pp.; Dos iz geven der onheyb (That was the beginning) (New York: Workmen’s Circle, 1943), 379 pp.; Eyn natsyonaler troyer tog, oder etlekher natsyonale troyer-teg (One day of national sadness, or several days of national sadness) (New York, 1952), 15 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: Y. Sh. Herts, Doyres bundistn (Generations of Bundists), vol. 3 (New York, 1968), pp. 166-22; Itonut yehudit shehayta (Jewish press that was) (Tel Aviv, 1973), see index; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York); Y. Klitshevski, in Unzer vort (Paris) (January 1, 1964); Mikhl Zilberberg, in Forverts (new York) (January 15, 1964); Yedies fun yivo (New York) (February 1964).

Berl Cohen