Gottlieb, Hirsch Leib

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GOTTLIEB, HIRSCH LEIB

GOTTLIEB, HIRSCH LEIB (1829–1930), Hebrew journalist. Born in Szigetvar, Hungary, Gottlieb translated works of Goethe, Schiller, and others into Hebrew. In 1878, in his native town, he began to publish Ha-Shemesh, the first Hebrew paper in Hungary. Among those who contributed to the paper were the Hebrew writers R.A. *Broides, G. *Bader, and D.I. Silberbusch. As a result of the opposition of the rabbi of Szigetvar the paper was moved for a time to Kolomea, Galicia, where it appeared once under the name Ha-Shemesh and once as Ha-Harsah. Gottlieb ceased publishing it at the turn of the century, returned to Szigetvar, and began to publish Yiddish newspapers. Because of open advocacy of Zionism in his Yiddish paper Zion he was persecuted by religious extremists, but he nevertheless persevered until the eve of World War i. Gottlieb was also a well-known humorist whose anecdotes and light verse were published in his newspaper and in his book of Yiddish verse, published posthumously.

bibliography:

Tazlil, 4 (1964), 44–65 (Hebrew translation of his autobiography); Yaari, in: ks, 35 (1959/60), 111–2.

[Getzel Kressel]