Sol Levitas
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1894
Sol Levitas | |
|---|---|
 Levitas in 1937 | |
| Born | Samuel Moisewitch Levitas 1894 |
| Died | January 3, 1961 (aged 66–67) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Magazine editor |
| Years active | 1940-1950 |
| Employer | The New Leader |
| Predecessor | James Oneal |
| Successor | Myron Kolatch |
Sol Levitas (1894–1961) was an American magazine editor, an "old-line Socialist" and "Russian refugee journalist" who served as managing editor of The New Leader (1940–1950) and "shaped the journal's character."[1][2][3][4]
Sol Levitas was born Samuel Moisewitch Levitas in 1894 in the Russian Empire.[3][4]
Career
Levitas became a Socialist at age 15, became a Menshevik and close friend of Alexander Kerensky. In 1916, he first visited Chicago but returned home after the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he was imprisoned several times. In 1923, dressed as a Red Army colonel, he fled to New York City. He joined the Socialist Party of America and wrote for the Jewish Daily Forward and the Leader.[3]
On January 19, 1924, the first issue of The New Leader hit newsstands. In 1930, Levitas became its business manager. In 1936, after years of infighting, editor James Oneal left Levitas in charge. In 1939, Levitas attacked the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In 1943, he criticized Upton Sinclair for signing a petition in support of the Soviet Union. In 1945, Levitas criticized all accommodation with the USSR (e.g., the Yalta Conference). By 1949, the magazine was in dire financial straits. In 1950, Levitas said that "friends" were contributing to the magazine and in 1957 said that amount with $15,000 per year.[4]
Personal life and death
Levitas married Esther Fera.[5] Their children were a daughter, Nora, and a son, Mitchel R. Levitas, New York Times editor and 1959 Nieman Fellow.[3][6]
Levitas died age 66 on January 3, 1961, in New York City.[1][4][7]
