William Z. Spiegelman, director of publicity for the Jewish National Fund for the past 19 years, died here today at the age of 55, The funeral will be held tomorrow. A Journalist in Europe for many years, Spiegelman came to the country in 1924 when he joined the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as its editor. He left the JTA to assume the publicity post with the J.N.F.
"Spiegelman," Yiddish publication unknown, May 16, 1949. (Translation by Yaira Singer.)
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with the Yiddish telegraph-agency. He worked with the local Yiddish newspapers, in the Hebrew press, and in the English-Yiddish journals. He also participated in [writing] the English-Yiddish Encyclopedia. In his written works in America, Zev Wolf Spiegelman (William Wolf Spiegelman) was dedicated throughout his years to the problems of Zionism and the Land of Israel. He had the great task of spreading and developing the idea of Zion in the Jewish and secular public opinion in America.
Since 1930, the deceased was director of the press department of the Jewish National Fund in America, and redactor of the English-Yiddish Journal, which is published through the Jewish National Fund. On an assignment from the Jewish National Fund, Zev Wolf Spiegelman traveled to Israel some time ago. He took up a directorial position in the international section of the Jewish national Fund, and recently received an invitation to take over an important office in the Headquarters of the Jewish National Fund in Jerusalem.
Zev Wolf Siegelman's early death is a heavy loss for the Zionist Movement. He leaves a wife, Mrs. Dora Spiegelman, and three children, Ruth, David, and Judith. The funeral will be held today, Monday, at 11 in the morning, at Funeral Home 1283 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn.
"W.Z. Spiegelman, With Jewish Fund," Brooklyn Eagle, May 16, 1949.
William E. [sic] Spiegelman, director of public relations of the Jewish National Fund of America and editor of its magazine, Land and Life, died of a heart attack yesterday in his home, 853 E. 9th Street. He was 56 and a native of Poland.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Dora Moreiss Spiegelman; two daughters, Ruth and Judith, and a son, David.
Funeral services were held today at the Flatbush Memorial Chapel, 1283 Coney Island Ave.
"William Zeev Spiegelman," publication unknown, May 27, 1949.
By Ernest E. Barbarash.
The first time I met the last William Z. Spiegelman was in London in 1921 in the office of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. It was the day after his arrival from Warsaw where, even at an early age, he was a distinguished member of the editorial staff of the Yiddish daily Moment. I was then a youngster and looked upon the “oldster” Spiegelman with a measure of awe and admiration as he dictated a series of articles on Jewish life in Poland. I still vividly recall Spiegelman’s dignified demeanor as he sat erect, smoking his cigarette, and with great fluency and ease, punctuated by a constant stream of literary terms, put into shape the articles which later were syndicated throughout the world by the JTA. As assistant to Mr. Spiegelman in the writing of news copy, I was the richer in knowledge and experience. In fact, Spiegelman was my first teacher in the realm of journalism.
Language Command
Some months later, Spiegelman left for the United States. Again our paths crossed in 1924 when I worked under him as a member of the editorial staff of the JTA. He was the day editor and I was the night man. I found Spiegelman to be the newspaperman par excellence. Steeped in Hebrew and Yiddish literature, Spiegelman possessed a felicity of style, having a thorough command of the Hebrew, Yiddish and English languages. His articles were marked by profoundness and clarity. They were never superficial but were concise and to the point.
Although an introvert by nature, Spiegelman was fired by an inner passion for the ideals which he espoused. A maximalist Zionist, he brooked no compromise in his conviction. He was unyielding where principles were concerned.
He was a prolific writer covering a wide range of subjects. He was a fluent Hebraist and had a thorough knowledge of the Talmud, and his writings were punctuated with Talmudic references. To some, he may have appeared cold and nonchalant, but under his seeming indifference there beat a warm heart which was deeply concerned with the welfare of his fellow men. Thousands and thousands of words flowed from his pen. He spoke and wrote pearls of wisdom. A collection of his writings would constitute a valuable contribution to contemporary Jewish literature.
Press Contributor
William Z. Spiegelman died at the early age of 56. For the last 19 years, he had held the post of Public Relations Director of the Jewish National Fund. In this capacity, Mr. Spiegelman was instrumental in bringing the sacred ideal of Zionism and the purpose of the JNF to the attention of millions of people. He was one of the foremost authorities in his field, but, at the same time, he did not neglect the sphere which was so dear to his heart – the enrichment of contemporary Hebrew literature through his literary contributions to the Hebrew press in this country, in Israel and abroad. At the time of his death, Mr. Spiegelman served as special correspondent for the Tel Aviv daily Haboker. He also translated several books from German and contributed to the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia.
Mr. Spiegelman’s memory will be cherished eternally in the hearts of the numerous pupils and friends who were privileged to work with him and to know him.
The funeral services for deceased held last Monday were attended by leaders of the JNF, Zionist Organization of America, United Palestine Appeal, the Yiddish Writers Union and many other Jewish organizations. Judge Morris Rothenberg, president of the JNF, in his eulogy, said that “the passing of Mr. Spiegelman is a great loss to the Zionist cause and the work for the land [rest of article missing].
"Israel Mourns Spiegelman," The New Palestine, June 14, 1949.
TEL AVIV. -- The news of the untimely passing of William Z. Spiegelman, noted journalist and public relations director of the Jewish National Fund in America, was received here with deep sorrow. The Hebrew press carried obituaries extolling his great talents and paying high tribute to his many years of service to the cause of the establishment of the Jewish state.
The Hebrew daily, Haboker, to which the deceased was a frequent contributor, in a lengthy eulogy reviewed Mr. Spiegelman's career and contributions both in the literary field and in his capacity as JNF public relations chief.
"Zeev Spiegelman was a Zionist official who embodied the two worlds -- old and new -- of the Jewish people of Europe and America. Steeped in Hebraic culture from his early childhood in Warsaw, Spiegelman retained his characteristics even after he left to settle in the new world in the West. In New York Spiegelman absorbed all the new American techniques and at the same time retained and applied his rich background of cultural Zionism.
"Spiegelman had a fluent command of the English, Hebrew, Yiddish and German languages, and both as editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and for the past 20 years as public relations head of the JNF in America, he devoted himself with heart and soul to the dissemination of the Zionist ideal and the redemption of the soil as the unalienable property of the [illegible]. He was forever using new approaches and expanded activities. The Jewish National Fund owes him a great deal of gratitude, for he was the author of many plans and ideas in the field of public relations which proved both effective and successful.
"Spiegelman was a devoted chaver, a loyal Zionist and energetic worker. His friends and all those who knew him sorrow deeply because today there are not many of his type," the Haboker said.
"William Zev Spiegelman: A Tribute By Judge Morris Rothenberg, Remarks delivered at funeral service, May 16, 1949," Land and Life, Summer 1949.
The sudden passing away of our friend and colleague William Z. Spiegelman has come as a great shock and sorrow to us all. Those who were close to him knew that he had been in bad health for some time but we were not prepared for this tragic and untimely end. It is, indeed, as the Psalmist said, "We are like leaves of grass; in the morning we rise up, in the evening we are cut down and wither."
I speak in behalf of the Administration of the Jewish National Fund of America and its staff and I am sure I voice also the sentiments of the Keren Kayemeth in Israel in paying tribute to the memory of William Spiegelman. He was a gentle, kindly soul, scholarly, steeped in Jewish learning and tradition and a fine Jew. He was one of the most respected Executives of the Jewish National Fund. As Publicity and Public Relations Director, he brought to his task a profound understanding of Zionist principles, of Zionist history and of Zionist ideals. He was a facile writer in English, in Hebrew and in Yiddish and he had a wide knowledge of other languages and cultures. He was a man of creative ideas. The literature of the Keren Kayemeth which he produced and edited bears the imprint of his talents and his quiet and dignified personality.
It has been the good fortune of the Zionist Movement that its officials in the manifold branches of its activities were not persons perfunctorily performing the daily routine of their tasks. They were Zionists concerned with the progress and the ultimate success of the Zionist movement.
Spiegelman was an outstanding example of this type of Zionist official. He regarded his work as a form of civil service to the Jewish people and he brought to his labors the devotion and ardor of a life-long Zionist. He followed every happening in Jewish and in Zionist life with breathless interest. He was a proud son and a true servant of his people.
He knew also the art of friendship, and in our country and in Israel there will be many mourners over his untimely death.
To his wife and children, to whom he was so deeply and tenderly attached, I extend the sincere condolences of myself, of the Jewish National Fund of America and of the Keren Kayemeth in Israel.
We shall always remember in kindliness and in the warmth of the good fellowship which existed among us this fine colleague and true Jewish public servant, William Spiegelman, who left us all too soon.
"In Memoriam," by Mendel N. Fisher, Land and Life, Summer 1949.
We have lost one of our ablest and most devoted colleagues, whose entire life was dedicated to the service of Israel. As Director of PublicRelations and Editor of LAND AND LIFE, William Z. Spiegelman made a lasting contribution in the dissemination of information on the fundamental ideas of the Jewish National Fund, to which he gave of his great gifts of heart and mind. He served the whole Zionist movement with great effectiveness. His name will be recalled with eternal gratitude. Our loss is irreparable. The JNF Staff here, in Jerusalem and in all parts of the world, mourn his passing. We honor his memory.
"William Z. Spiegelman," by Max Rudensky, Land and Life, Summer 1949.
William Zev Spiegelman, son of a well-to-do Warsaw merchant and scholar, and -- on his mother's side -- scion of a Hassidic dynasty, was still a young lad when his father died. His elder step-brother, a middle-aged man, became his guardian and spiritual mentor. In addition to an intensive Talmudic schooling, Spiegelman was also instructed in modern Hebrew and Hassidic lore.
After his Bar Mitzvah, Spiegelman went to study at the modernized Yeshiva at Lida, much against the wishes of his stepbrother who wanted to send his young ward to one of the traditional academies. But Spiegelman did not stay long at Lida, being unable to endure his loneliness, He returned to Warsaw where he continued his Jewish and secular studies, at first under private tutors, and later in the special course established by the famous Dr. Posnanski, rabbi of the Great Synagogue.
The outbreak of World War I interrupted his studies after a few years at Posnanski's courses and Spiegelman became a journalist working for Yiddish, Hebrew and Polish publications, including the famous daily "Moment."
When the war ended, Spiegelman -- although continuing his journalistic activities -- entered the University of Cracow where he spent several years. After the Polish pogroms in 1918-1919, Spiegelman made a tour of the affected localities, investigating the disturbances.
This tour brought him into contact with the late Henry Morganthau, Sr., who headed a special commission appointed by President Wilson, and with Mr. Jacob Landau, founder of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
In 1920, when Spiegelman came to London to the first postwar World Zionist Conference, Landau invited him to serve as news editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He stayed in London for over a year before coming to the U.S.
For a while he lived in San Francisco, where he had a number of relatives. He studied at the local University and edited the San Francisco Anglo-Jewish weekly. There he met his wife, Dora.
In 1923 he was invited by Jacob Landau, who had now moved to New York, to edit the J.T.A. Daily Bulletin and the cable service of the J.T.A.
In 1930 he was invited by Dr. Emanuel Neumann, then President of the Jewish National Fund of America, to assume the position of Director of Public Relations. This post he filled with singular distinction until his death.
"Spiegelman had a fluent command of the English, Hebrew, Yiddish and German languages, and both as editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and for the past 20 years as public relations head of the JNF in America, he devoted himself with heart and soul to the dissemination of the Zionist ideal and the redemption of the soil as the unalienable property of the [illegible]. He was forever using new approaches and expanded activities. The Jewish National Fund owes him a great deal of gratitude, for he was the author of many plans and ideas in the field of public relations which proved both effective and successful.
"Spiegelman was a devoted chaver, a loyal Zionist and energetic worker. His friends and all those who knew him sorrow deeply because today there are not many of his type," the Haboker said.
"William Zev Spiegelman: A Tribute By Judge Morris Rothenberg, Remarks delivered at funeral service, May 16, 1949," Land and Life, Summer 1949.
The sudden passing away of our friend and colleague William Z. Spiegelman has come as a great shock and sorrow to us all. Those who were close to him knew that he had been in bad health for some time but we were not prepared for this tragic and untimely end. It is, indeed, as the Psalmist said, "We are like leaves of grass; in the morning we rise up, in the evening we are cut down and wither."
I speak in behalf of the Administration of the Jewish National Fund of America and its staff and I am sure I voice also the sentiments of the Keren Kayemeth in Israel in paying tribute to the memory of William Spiegelman. He was a gentle, kindly soul, scholarly, steeped in Jewish learning and tradition and a fine Jew. He was one of the most respected Executives of the Jewish National Fund. As Publicity and Public Relations Director, he brought to his task a profound understanding of Zionist principles, of Zionist history and of Zionist ideals. He was a facile writer in English, in Hebrew and in Yiddish and he had a wide knowledge of other languages and cultures. He was a man of creative ideas. The literature of the Keren Kayemeth which he produced and edited bears the imprint of his talents and his quiet and dignified personality.
It has been the good fortune of the Zionist Movement that its officials in the manifold branches of its activities were not persons perfunctorily performing the daily routine of their tasks. They were Zionists concerned with the progress and the ultimate success of the Zionist movement.
Spiegelman was an outstanding example of this type of Zionist official. He regarded his work as a form of civil service to the Jewish people and he brought to his labors the devotion and ardor of a life-long Zionist. He followed every happening in Jewish and in Zionist life with breathless interest. He was a proud son and a true servant of his people.
He knew also the art of friendship, and in our country and in Israel there will be many mourners over his untimely death.
To his wife and children, to whom he was so deeply and tenderly attached, I extend the sincere condolences of myself, of the Jewish National Fund of America and of the Keren Kayemeth in Israel.
We shall always remember in kindliness and in the warmth of the good fellowship which existed among us this fine colleague and true Jewish public servant, William Spiegelman, who left us all too soon.
"In Memoriam," by Mendel N. Fisher, Land and Life, Summer 1949.
We have lost one of our ablest and most devoted colleagues, whose entire life was dedicated to the service of Israel. As Director of PublicRelations and Editor of LAND AND LIFE, William Z. Spiegelman made a lasting contribution in the dissemination of information on the fundamental ideas of the Jewish National Fund, to which he gave of his great gifts of heart and mind. He served the whole Zionist movement with great effectiveness. His name will be recalled with eternal gratitude. Our loss is irreparable. The JNF Staff here, in Jerusalem and in all parts of the world, mourn his passing. We honor his memory.
"William Z. Spiegelman," by Max Rudensky, Land and Life, Summer 1949.
William Zev Spiegelman, son of a well-to-do Warsaw merchant and scholar, and -- on his mother's side -- scion of a Hassidic dynasty, was still a young lad when his father died. His elder step-brother, a middle-aged man, became his guardian and spiritual mentor. In addition to an intensive Talmudic schooling, Spiegelman was also instructed in modern Hebrew and Hassidic lore.
After his Bar Mitzvah, Spiegelman went to study at the modernized Yeshiva at Lida, much against the wishes of his stepbrother who wanted to send his young ward to one of the traditional academies. But Spiegelman did not stay long at Lida, being unable to endure his loneliness, He returned to Warsaw where he continued his Jewish and secular studies, at first under private tutors, and later in the special course established by the famous Dr. Posnanski, rabbi of the Great Synagogue.
The outbreak of World War I interrupted his studies after a few years at Posnanski's courses and Spiegelman became a journalist working for Yiddish, Hebrew and Polish publications, including the famous daily "Moment."
When the war ended, Spiegelman -- although continuing his journalistic activities -- entered the University of Cracow where he spent several years. After the Polish pogroms in 1918-1919, Spiegelman made a tour of the affected localities, investigating the disturbances.
This tour brought him into contact with the late Henry Morganthau, Sr., who headed a special commission appointed by President Wilson, and with Mr. Jacob Landau, founder of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
In 1920, when Spiegelman came to London to the first postwar World Zionist Conference, Landau invited him to serve as news editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He stayed in London for over a year before coming to the U.S.
For a while he lived in San Francisco, where he had a number of relatives. He studied at the local University and edited the San Francisco Anglo-Jewish weekly. There he met his wife, Dora.
In 1923 he was invited by Jacob Landau, who had now moved to New York, to edit the J.T.A. Daily Bulletin and the cable service of the J.T.A.
In 1930 he was invited by Dr. Emanuel Neumann, then President of the Jewish National Fund of America, to assume the position of Director of Public Relations. This post he filled with singular distinction until his death.
In the last few years Spiegelman acted as the New York correspondent of the Tel Aviv daily "Haboker."
Two years ago, despite a heart ailment from which he had suffered for six year, he undertook a trip to Israel and spent several months in that country. There he was stricken with a heart attack, which he sought to conceal from his family. A few months ago he suffered another grave attack but soon recovered. Then he had another stroke and passed away after a few days on Sunday, May 15th. Besides his wife, the former Dora Moreiss, he leaves three children -- Ruth, Judith and David.
"William Zev Spiegelman," Karnenu, November 1949: Obituary.
The untimely passing of William Zev Spiegelman at the age of 56 has come as a blow to his host of friends throughout the ranks of the Jewish National Fund (J.N.F.). Mr. Spiegelman, who since 1930 served as Public Relations Director of the J.N.F. of America with distinction, left behind him a wealth of journalistic and cultural contributions to the cause of Zionism. Born in Warsaw, Mr. Spiegelman was well versed in modern Hebrew and Hassidic lore and with his natural love of Jewish tradition he played an active role in the Zionist Organization from his early youth onwards. Following a year's stay in London after the First World War, Mr. Spiegelman emigrated to the United States where, in 1923, he became an editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. As Public Relations Director of the J.N.F. in New York, Mr. Spiegelman's name was frequently seen over articles in Hebrew and Yiddish as well as English. He will long be remembered as the author of many new and successful projects in the field of public relations, particularly on the subject of land redemption.
"William Zev Spiegelman," Karnenu, November 1949: Statement by Elias M. Epstein, Director, Overseas Department.
From the time he entered the service of the Jewish National Fund in America twenty years ago, William Z. Spiegelman devoted himself heart and soul to this institution and the impress of his personality was deeply felt in every stage of the development of the Land Fund. A son of the last generation, a generation subject to cultural repression, Spiegelman was no rigid traditionalist; he preferred to crate, to expand, to change. I Particularly remember the discussions we had in Jerusalem prior to the evacuation of the British when it was uncertain whether the United Nations would follow through its resolution about the Jewish State. He took back with him from Israel the feeling that we should declare our independence whatever the odds against the step. William Z. Spiegelman has left behind him a fine record of patriotic service to his people and I am certain that his influence will long remain as inspiration and encouragement to others.
"Remains of William Spiegelman to Be Transferred to Israel for Reburial in Tel Aviv," Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 13, 1950.
The remains of the late William Z. Spiegelman, public relations director of the Jewish National Fund of America who died last year, will be transported to Israel on the Israel vessel Akko next Monday, it was announced here today. Reburial will take place near Tel Aviv. The Akko will be met by J.N.F. officials and friends of the deceased. Mr. Spiegelman served as editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency before he joined the Jewish National Fund staff some 20 years age.
"W. Z. Spiegelman Buried in Israel," New Palestine, 13(?) April 1950.
The body of the late William Z. Spiegelman, veteran Zionist and public relations director of the Jewish National Fund of America, who died in New York more than a year ago, was re-interred in Israel with special ceremonies attended by officials and staff workers of the Keren Kayemeth Leisrael of both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, members of the Israel Journalists Association, relatives and close personal friends.
The ceremony took place in front of the JNF building in Tel Aviv. Mr. Spiegelman's nephew, who was present with his family and with other members of the Spiegelman family, recited Kaddish as the crowd stood about the blue and white draped casket on which lay a wreath of the Keren Kayemeth Leisrael.
At the side of the grave, which is near the graves of those who fell in Israel's war for independence, J. Heftman, on behalf of the Israel Journalists Association and as chief editor of Haboker, for which Mr. Spiegelman was correspondent for many years, delivered a moving oration. Eulogies were also delivered by M. Yinnon, of Mossad Bialik, and J. Yonathan, speaking in behalf of the head office of the Keren Kayemeth Leisrael.
Others who were present included Rabbie J.M. Kovalsky, A. Kamini, who acted as chairman, S. Shulkes, secretary of the Vaad Artzi, and Rav M.D. Gross, of the Mahleket Haharedim.
In memorial services held at the same time in the JNF offices in New York, at which Mordecai Rudensky presided, Mendel Fisher, JNF executive director, E. Lerner and Sharon Weitz, the latter representing the JNF of Jerusalem, paid deep-felt tribute to their deceased colleague. It was announced that a grove of trees would be planted in his memory in the George Washington Forest.
HaBoker, Tuesday, Sivan 7, 5710 (May 23, 1950). (Translated from the Hebrew by Orly Benun 2012. Copyedited by William J. Brown.)
Today, the journalist William Ze’ev [Spiegelman] will be brought to eternal peace in the homeland's soil, now that his body was brought in a ship from the United States. [William] Z. Spiegelman was one of the famous and devoted employees of the Jewish National Fund, and at one time worked as a writer for the “HaBoker” newspaper in New York.
Before immigrating to America, about thirty years ago, he was a well-known journalist. As a contributor to the “Moment” newspaper, he fulfilled important duties in public reporting, and he was the representative of the Jewish Journalists in the Parliamentarian Club of the first Sejm of Poland. In America, Spiegelman first worked at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and later edited an English newspaper. After an interval, he was handed the marketing department of the Jewish National Fund and accomplished significant achievements in this function. To Zionist marketing, which was infamous for its routine practices, he brought the vision and excitement of a first-class journalist who was always skilled in revealing the interesting and fascinating points in every article that was brought to the public. For twenty years, he was on duty at this office, and managed to successfully introduce the idea of the Jewish National Fund and to have its aspirations and goals be well-liked by the public.
He was well-liked by all his associates and friends. A man with good conversational skills who, in spite of the mountain of work and tasks that he was responsible for while managing the marketing assignments, and with annoying journalist duties, always kept himself quite calm and well-mannered.
His family will find consolation knowing that many share their sorrow and knowing that his wish to be buried in the homeland's soil was fulfilled by the Jewish National Fund, which is appreciative of the virtue of its loyal employee.
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