Harry Rogoff
Harry "Hillel" Rogoff was a Belarusian-born Jewish-American journalist, author, and editor of ''The Forward.''
Life
Rogoff was born on December 11, 1882, in Berezino, Russia, the son of Isaac Rogoff and Sarah Yachnowitz. He immigrated to America in 1890 and graduated from the College of the City of New York with a B.A. in 1906.Rogoff attended the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He began working as a journalist in English in 1905. A year later, he began writing in Yiddish for The Forward, remaining involved with the paper for the rest of his life outside of brief interruptions in 1908 and 1921. He wrote editorials, literary and theater criticisms, and pieces on social and political topics. He also published a number of travel narratives from Europe and Israel during the interwar period. He rose to become news editor and assistant editor of the paper, and in 1919 he became the managing editor. In 1951, he succeeded Abraham Cahan as editor-in-chief. He retired from the paper in 1962, although he continued to contribute to the paper afterwards. His last published piece was published a month before his death, discussing whether Arthur J. Goldberg wanted to leave the Supreme Court for the United Nations. He wrote a bimonthly book review in the Forward for many years.
Rogoff was also co-editor of Tsukunft at one point and as editor of Di yidishe arbayter-velt in Chicago in 1908. He worked with, among other papers, Fraye arbeter shtime, Di naye velt, the Labor Zionist daily newspaper Di tsayt, and Der veker. He was co-editor of Finf un zibetsik yor yidishe prese in amerike, published in 1945. His pen names included Yitskhok-Elkhonen and Ger Toshav. His reporting on workers in the garment industry lead to the establishment of a new union led by Sidney Hillman and Joseph Schlossberg. From 1915 to 1916, he edited the literary magazine East and West, one of the earliest attempts to introduce Yiddish literature to American readers. He was an early dove on the Vietnam War, urging an end to the bombing of North Vietnam in 1967. He already stepped down as editor of the Forward at the time, with the paper's editorial policy generally supportive of President Johnson's foreign policy. He also supported the 1970 election of Senator Charles Goodell, while the paper backed Representative Richard Ottinger.
File:Amalgamated Socialist Campaign Committee, 1918.pdf|thumb|left|Pamphlet promoting Rogoff's 1918 State Assembly candidacy, sponsored by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Rogoff was the Socialist candidate for the New York State Assembly in Kings County 14th District in 1918 and 1919. In 1920, he was the Socialist candidate for the New York State Senate in New York's 11th State Senate district, losing to Republican Abraham L. Katlin. In the 1926 United States House of Representatives election, he was the Socialist candidate in New York's 12th congressional district. He lost the election to Samuel Dickstein.
Rogoff published several books in Yiddish, including Vi azoy amerika vert regiert in 1918, the five-volume Di geshikhte fun di fareynigte shtaten between 1925 and 1928, Meyer london, a byografye in 1930, and Der gayst fun “forverts” in 1954. He also wrote several political pamphlets, including Finf un tsavtsik yor komunistishe bavegung in amerike, Amerikaner frayhayt in 1916, Di diktatur fun proletariat in 1920, Huver, smit un zeyere platformes in 1928, Der kongres fun di fareynigte shtaten in 1930, Di politishe lage in amerike un di oyfgaben fun der sotsyalistisher bavegung in 1938, and Vikhtike problemen fun der arbeter-bavegung with L. Hendin and Nathan Chanin in 1940. He translated Morris Hilquist’s The History of the Socialist Movement in the United States into the Yiddish Di geshikhte fun der sotsyalistisher bavegung in di fareynigte shtaten in 1919. He also wrote Nine Yiddish Writers in 1915. He was a member of the Congress for Jewish Culture.
In 1916, Rogoff married Anna Kovaler. Their children were Julian and Phoebe.
Rogoff died at 258 Riverside Drive on November 30, 1971. He was buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery.