AVROM-ABE LIBERMAN

AVROM-ABE LIBERMAN (December 6, 1899-April? 1981)

            He was born in the town of Modliborzyce, Lublin district, Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school and privately with tutors and by himself for a secular education.  After WWI he made his way to Czechoslovakia.  In 1923 he was a local news writer for the Bratislava-based, German-language evening newspaper BZ am Abend (BZ in the evening).  In the early 1930s, he moved to France, took up business, founded (1933) and served as secretary of “Unaffiliated Association of Merchants and Retailers” in Paris.  Together with P. Nam, he published Parizer handlstsaytung (Parisian business newspaper)—only one issue appeared, October 29, 1933.  In 1937 he left for Belgium, where he was a regular contributor the Antwerp weekly newspaper Yidishe prese (Jewish press).  With the outbreak of WWII, he went to France, spent time in the Toulouse area and a certain time in Nice as well—under Italian occupation.  After the liberation of France (1945), he spent a short amount of time contributing to a French newspaper in Toulouse, afterword coming to Paris where he became a regular writer for the daily Unzer vort (Our word).  Over the years 1946-1948, he brought out the satirical, humorous monthly journal Afn tsimbl (To task).  He wrote under such pen names as: S. Laykhtman, Profesor Shivrelev, Dr. Maror, and F. Sh.  In book form: Tsvishn pletsl un eyfl-turem, parizen reportazhn (Between the Rue des Rosiers and the Eifel Tower, Parisian reportage) (Paris, 1954), 160 pp.  He was also the author of the comedy Khelemer khakhomim (The wise men of Chełm).  In 1961 he launched publication of the satirical magazine Shpilkes (Needles).  He was secretary of the Parisian association of Jewish writers and journalists.  He died in Paris.

Source: Z. Shaykovski, Yidn in frankraykh (Jews in France), vol. 1 (New York, 1962), p. 263.

Zaynvl Diamant

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 329.]