Lithuanian politician
Leyb Gorfinkel (March 14, 1896 – September 7, 1976; also known as Leib Garfunkel and Levas Garfunkelis in Lithuanian) was an advocate, journalist, and politician.[1] He was of Lithuanian and later of Israeli nationality.[1]
Biography
Leyb Gorfinkel grew up in
Gorfinkel died in 1976 at the age of eighty and was buried at Har HaMenuchot.[1]
World War II and the Holocaust
He was an organizer of the Society to Aid Jewish Refugees from Poland in 1940; he was also arrested by the
Kaufering concentration camp, which was near
Dachau.
[1] Fortunately, Gorfinkel managed to survive the war and the Holocaust.
[1]Zionist activism
In Kovno, he participated in various Jewish and Zionist activities.Zionist daily newspaper
Di idishe shtime (The Jewish Voice), which he himself edited between February 1920 and February 1922.
[1] Gorfinkel was also a member of the presidium and then as vice chair of the Jewish National Council of Lithuania during this time.
[1] In addition, he edited the bi-weekly newspaper
Unzer ruf (Our Call) in 1925-1926 and the weekly newspaper
Di tsayt (The Times) in 1932.
[1] Gorfinkel was a member of the Lithuanian
Seimas (Parliament) between 1923 and 1927, where he represented the Zionists-Socialists and Tse‘ire Tsiyon.
[1] He was also a member of the Kovno City Council from 1924 onward.
[1]
Rome, Italy between 1945 and 1948.
[1] In Rome, he was the head of the Organization of Jewish Refugees in Italy.
[1] A week before his death, Gorfinkel was the first person to be interviewed by director
Claude Lanzmann for his film
Shoah, which was only released in 1985 (almost a decade after Gorfinkel's death).
[2] In this interview, Gorfinkel discussed his own experiences in the Kovno Ghetto during the Holocaust.
[2]Published works
- Žydų tautinė autonomija Lietuvoje [Jewish national autonomy in Lithuania]. Kaunas: Š. Neumano spaustuvė, 1920.
References
