Zitron, Samuel Leib
ZITRON, SAMUEL LEIB
ZITRON, SAMUEL LEIB (1860–1930), Hebrew and Yiddish writer and journalist. The son of a distinguished merchant family in Minsk, Zitron was educated at Lithuanian yeshivot. While studying at the Volozhin yeshivah, he became attracted to the Haskalah and in 1876 moved to Vienna, where he became friendly with P. *Smolenskin. After studying for several years in Germany, he began his journalistic career, and for more than 50 years contributed to the Yiddish press and to nearly all the Hebrew periodicals in the Diaspora. In the 1880s to 1890s, he wrote short stories, one of which, "Yonah Potah" (1887), aroused popular attention. He joined the Ḥibbat Zion movement in its early days and translated L. *Pinsker's Autoemanzipation into Hebrew (it appeared in a censored version, under the title Im Ein Ani Li Mi Li). From 1904 Zitron lived in Vilna and edited various newspapers and anthologies. Of special interest are a series of articles on the Hebrew press published in Haolam, 4 (1911–14, 1927–30). Based mainly on Zitron's personal experiences and recollections, the articles contain material of historic value, particularly on Ha-Maggid, Ha-Meliẓ, Ha-Ẓefirah, Ha-Karmel, Ha-Levanon, Ha-Emet, and Ha-Kol. He also wrote about the history of the Yiddish press in the 19th century (Geshikhte fun der Yidisher Prese, 1923). With the decline of the Hebrew press in Eastern Europe, Zitron wrote extensively for the Yiddish press, and published many monographs written in a popular style, some of which were later published in book form. Zitron also translated many books into Hebrew (including the works of *An-Ski and the stories of L. *Levanda).
His works include: on the Zionist movement and its precursors, Toledot Ḥibbat Ẓiyyon (1913); Herzl (1921; Heb.); Leksikon Ẓiyyoni (1924); on Hebrew literature and its writers, Yoẓerei ha-Sifrut ha-Ivrit ha-Ḥadashah (1922); Anashim ve-Soferim (1921); articles in Yiddish, Meshumodim (4 vols., 1923–23), Literarishe Doyres (4 vols., 1921–23), Shtadlanim (1926), Barimte Yidishe Froyen (1944).
bibliography:
Waxman, Literature, index; J. Fichmann, in: Moznayim, 29 (1930); Schoenhaus, in: Haolam (1930), 28, 490; M. Shalit, in Davar Musaf (Nov. 21, 1930); Rejzen, Leksikon, 3 (1929), 286–97; N. Goren, in: Gilyonot, 26 (1952), 398–400. add. bibliography: G. Shaked. Ha-Sipporet ha-Ivrit, 1 (1977), 223–25.
[Yehuda Slutsky]