S. J. Goldsmith

S. J. Goldsmith (Hebrew: שמואל יוסף גולדשמידט‎; born Shmuel Yosef Goldshmidt; 18 April 1915[lower-alpha 1] – 18 January 1995), also known as Sam Goldsmith, was a journalist, author, and editor in the European Jewish press and English press.

S. J. Goldsmith
Born18 April 1915
Jonava, Lithuania
Died18 January 1995
OccupationJournalist, author, editor
LanguageHebrew, English, Yiddish
Alma materUniversity of Vitautas the Great, Kaunas, Lithuania
SpouseSonia Minsky
ChildrenTessa Rajak

Early life and education

Goldsmith was born in Jonava, Lithuania.[1] He graduated from the Hebrew high school ('Schwabes') in Kaunas and from the University of Vitautas the Great in Kaunas.[1]

His early career was in the Jewish press of Eastern Europe, writing for the daily De Yiddishe Shtimme (The Jewish Voice). From 1934 to 1939 he wrote for Hayntike Nayes (Today's News), becoming the editor of the evening edition in 1937.[1] He relocated to London in 1939.[1]

In England

From 1939, he reported and wrote op-eds for the Hebrew daily newspaper HaBoker in Tel Aviv, and for the British Sunday paper Reynold's News. As a British war correspondent he was the first journalist to enter the Bergen-Belsen camp after liberation and among the first in Dachau. He covered the Belsen Trial in Lüneburg and the Nuremberg Trials.

Between 1958 and 1975 he served as European editor for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.[1] He was a prolific freelance contributor to various newspapers and journals, in several languages. During 1975–82, he wrote features for The Times, introducing aspects of Jewish ideas, culture, and politics to the British public. Among the causes he promoted were the Hebrew language, its promotion through education, and the fostering of bilingualism.

He was a founding member and chairman of the London branch of the World Hebrew Union. He was also well-known as an expert in Yiddish language and literature. He was one of the speakers at the fifth European Conference on Yiddish culture which took place in London in 1966.[2]

Bibliography

Books

Goldsmith published books in both English and Hebrew, including five collections of essays. His works include:

  • Twenty 20th Century Jews. Shengold Publishers. 1962. Library of Congress catalogue no 62-21943[3]
  • חצי מיליון יהודים בערפל: יהודי בריטניה [Half a Million Jews in the Fog: The Jews of Great Britain] (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv: World Jewish Congress Yiddish Committee. 1963.
  • Jews in Transition. Wentworth Book Company. 1969. ISBN 978-0901418005.
  • In the Passage of Time. Culmus Publishing. 1978.
  • The Slaughter of Sacred Cows. London. 1984. ISBN 978-0946999002.
  • The Edge of the Conflagration: Essays in Disapproval. Janus. 1992. ISBN 978-1857560268.

As editor

Personal life

He married Sonia Minsky, economist and teacher, in Kaunas in 1939. Their daughter is the British ancient historian Tessa Rajak.

Notes
  1. His obituary in The Times gives his date of birth as 18 April 1910.

References
  1. Kagan, Berl, ed. (1986), "SHLOYME-YOYSEF GOLDSHMIDT (S. J. GOLDSMITH)", Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers [Biographical Dictionary of Yiddish Writers]
  2. "Five-day European Conference on Yiddish Culture Held in London". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 3, 1966. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  3. Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1963: July-December. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. 1965.

Sources
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