ZALMEN HELER

ZALMEN HELER (1864-April 30, 1954)

            He was born in Bialystok, Russian Poland.  He was among the first “Lovers of Zion” and “Promoters of the Hebrew Language” in Bialystok.  He was a cofounder (with A.-Sh. Hershberg) of a series of Jewish communal institutions and the founder of the first Hebrew teachers’ association in Bialystok.  In 1913 he emigrated to the United States, and for many years he was active as the director of a Talmud-Torah in New York.  He cofounded and headed the Hebrew teachers’ association in America.  He wrote articles, stories for children, and memoirs of Jewish life in Bialystok for: Hatsfira (The siren) in Warsaw; Hayom (Today) in St. Petersburg; Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), Byalistoker shtime (Voice of Bialystok), and Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s magazine), among others—in New York.  He died in New York.

Sources: A.-Sh. Hershberg, Pinkes byalistok (New York) 1 (1949), p. 400; Hadoar (New York) (May 21, 1954); Byalistoker shtime (New York) (September 1954).