ZOZA SHAYKOVSKI (ZOSA SZAJKOWSKI)

ZOZA SHAYKOVSKI (ZOSA SZAJKOWSKI) (January 10, 1910-September 26, 1978)

            The adopted name of Shayke Fridman (Frydman), he was historian and researcher, born in Zaromb (Zaręby Kościelne), Lomzhe district, Poland.  He attended religious elementary school and a Polish Jewish public school.  In May 1927 he emigrated to Paris and became active in the Communist movement, which he abandoned in 1938.  He served in the French army during WWII.  In 1941 he came to the United States and was drafted into the American army.  From 1945 he was connected to YIVO as a scholarly contributor.  He was a member of the American Academy for Jewish Research.  He began writing in the Parisian Communist press under the pen names of Shakovski, Sh. Feld, and Tshaptshinski, but he later turned completely to historical research in Jewish history (especially in France), emigration, the Yiddish press, and other fields.  He wrote a series of lengthy historical essays: “Yidn in der nokhnapoleonisher restavratsye in frankraykh” (Jewish in the post-Napoleonic restoration), in Yidn in frankraykh, shtudyes un materyaln (Jews in France, studies and materials), ed. A. Tsherikover, vol. 1 (New York: YIVO, 1942); “Di revolutsye fun 1848 un di ineveynikste kamfn in frantseyzishn yidntum” (The Revolution of 1848 and the internal struggles among French Jewry), in Yidn in frankraykh; “150 yor yidishe prese in frankraykh” (150 years of the Yiddish press in France), in Yidn in frankraykh; “Yidn in der parizer komune fun 1871” (Jews in the Paris Commune of 1871), in Yidn in frankraykh, vol. 2 (New York: YIVO, 1942); “Dos yidishe gezelshaftlekhe lebn in pariz tsum yor 1939” (Jewish community life in Paris in 1939), in Yidn in frankraykh, vol. 2.  In Yivo-bleter (Pages from YIVO), he placed a variety of studies and reviews, such as: “Di umlegale yidishe prese in belgye beys der okupatsye” (The illegal Yiddish press in Belgium during the occupation); “Di yidishe prese in belgye” (The Yiddish press in Belgium); “Di yidishe prese in frankraykh, 1940-1946” (The Yiddish press in France, 1940-1946); “A bukh vegn teater in karpentras” (A book about theater in Carpentras); “Materyaln vegn der yidisher emigratsye keyn amerike in 1881-1882” (Materials on Jewish emigration to America in 1881-1882).

            In book form: Etyudn tsu der geshikhte fun yidishn ayngevandertn yishev in frankraykh (Studies in the history of the immigrant Jewish community in France), vol. 1 (Paris, 1936), 190 pp.; Di profesyonele bavegung tsvishn di yidishe arbeter in frankraykh biz 1914 (The trade union movement among Jewish workers in France until 1914) (Paris, 1937), 261 pp.; Antisemitizm in der frantseyzisher arbeter-bavegung, fun der furyerizm bizn sof drayfus afere, 1845-1906 (Anti-Semitism in the French labor movement from Fourierism until the end of the Dreyfus case, 1845-1906) (New York, 1948), 156 pp.; Dos loshn fun di yidn in di arbe kehiles fun komte venesen (The language of the Jews in the four communities of Comtat Venaissin) (New York, 1948), 78 pp.; Di onheybn fun der yidisher kolonizatsye in argentine (The beginnings of Jewish colonization in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1957), 54 pp.  Shaykovski also published long works in the English-language Jewish history journal and brought out many books in English, such as: Franco-Judaica, an Analytical Bibliography of Books, Pamphlets, Decrees, Briefs and Other Printed Documents Pertaining to the Jews in France, 1500-1788 (New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1962), 160 pp.; Analytical Franco-Jewish Gazetteer, 1939-1945, with an Introduction to some Problems in Writing the History of the Jews in France during World War II (New York, 1966), 349 pp.; Jews and the French Revolutions of 1789, 1830 and 1848 (New York, 1970), 1161 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: Yivo-biblyografye (YIVO bibliography), part 2, 1942-1950 (New York, 1950), see index; B. Vaynraykh (Weinreich), in Historia Judaica (New York) (April 1960); Elye (Elias) Shulman, in Tsukunft (New York) (November 1966); Yoysef Gar, Biblyografye fun artiklen vegn khurbn un gvure in yidisher peryodike (Bibliography of articles on the catastrophe and heroism in Yiddish periodicals), vol. 2 (New York: Yad Vashem and YIVO, 1969), see index.

Elye (Elias) Shulman