The founding of the newspaper was the project of a group of businessmen and intellectuals including Judah Leib Magnes, David Shapiro,[7] Morris Weinberg, and Herman Bernstein. Bernstein became the paper's first editor and Shapiro assumed the role of publisher.[4][8]
Styled in its masthead as a "newspaper for the Jewish intelligentsia,"[3][9]: 26 Der Tog sought to uphold high journalistic and literary standards, and to rise above ideological divides.
Under William Edlin, who succeeded Bernstein as editor in 1916, and the first literary editor, Benzion Hoffman (Zivion),[10] the newspaper attracted a talented staff, including Shmuel Niger, who was its literary critic for many years, as well his brother the poet, author, and journalist Daniel Charney, who was a member of the editorial staff starting in 1925.[3][10][11]
Among the other outstanding staff writers were David Pinski, Aron Glanz (A. Leyeles), Joel Slonim, Peretz Hirshbein, and Abraham Coralnik.[3] Other significant contributors included Chaim Zhitlowsky, Jeremiah Hescheles and Samuel Rosenfeld,[9]: 26 as well as H. Leivick, Osip Dymov, and Reuben Iceland.[10] Leon Kobrin was the paper's chief fiction writer for nearly two decades;[9]: 27 and among the more famous of other occasional literary contributors were Joseph Opatoshu and Abraham Reisen.[9]: 26–27 The newspaper also published the entirety of the Bible translation by the poet Yehoash (pseudonym of Solomon Bloomgarden), and some works of Sholem Aleichem.[9]: 27
Edlin, who had been associated with the paper from its beginnings as a news editor and a theater critic, remained editor in chief until 1925. Samuel Margoshes filled that role from 1926 until 1942.[12] At that point Edlin came back and led the paper again,[12] until his death, in 1947.[13] Solomon Dingol became editor-in-chief following Edlin's death,[14] and was still editor when Der Tog merged with the Morning Journal in 1953.[15]
According to Edlin, Der Tog was the first Yiddish newspaper to include female journalists on the editorial staff. Adella Kean Zametkin wrote about women's issues, and Dr. Ida Badanes, about health matters; the popular fiction writer Sarah B. Smith was also a regular contributor over many years.[16] Before making her mark as a poet, Anna Margolin (pseudonym of Rosa Lebensboym) distinguished herself as a reporter and editor for Der Tog, contributing a column, "In der froyen velt" (In the women's world), under her actual name, and articles about women's issues under various pseudonyms, including Clara Levin.[17] Miriam Karpilove published several novels in Der Tog.[18] The paper also serialized the only novel by Blume Lempel in 1947.[19]
