Abraham Cahan

Abraham Cahan (1860-1951), American editor and author, born in Vilnius, Lithuania. Arriving in the United States in 1882, Cahan joined the Socialist Labor Party which was led by Daniel De Leon and became editor of the party publications. In 1897 Cahan became one of the founders and the editor of the Jewish Daily Forward. Under his direction the Forward became the leading Yiddish newspaper in the U.S. Cahan later became a leader of the Socialist Party. Cahan wrote in both English and Yiddish. His many works include Yekl, A Tale of the New York Ghetto (English, 1899), The Rise of David Levinsky (English, 1917), and an autobiography, Leaves from My Life (Yiddish, 5 volumes, 1926-31).