ZALMEN LEVI

ZALMEN LEVI (b. March 20, 1907)

            He was born in Plungyan (Plungė), Lithuania.  He studied in the yeshivas of Ponevezh (Panevėžys) and Telz.  In 1927 he immigrated to Johannesburg.  In 1928 he began sending correspondence pieces to Idishe shtime (Jewish voice) in Kovno.  He contributed political articles and essays to Proletarishe shtime (Proletarian voice) and Gezerd-vort (Gezerd [= All-Union Association for the Agricultural Settlement of Jewish Workers in the USSR] word).  In 1937 he parted way with the leftists for the Jewish national camp.  Over the years 1948-1970, he was a member of the editorial board of Dorem-afrike (South Africa) in Johannesburg, and from July 1970 he served as editor.  He wrote a great deal for Afrikaner idishe tsaytung (African Jewish newspaper).  He also contributed to Tsukunft (Future) in New York and other journals.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 343.