| Personal data | |
|---|---|
| Surname | Levitas |
| Name | Zalman |
| Birth year | 1876 |
| Birth month | 1 |
| Birth day | 6 |
| Birth place | Žageriai |
| Sex | M |
Levitas (Lewitas) Zalman (Salman) (born 6 January 1876, Žageriai) — public figure.
From a young age Zalman Levitas was active in public life, founding various Jewish circles and libraries. He founded the publishing house “Yavne” in Warsaw, which produced Jewish publications. After being expelled from Poland, he moved to Riga, where in 1919 he founded the newspaper “Idishe Shtimme”, headed by Baal-Machshoves and Dr. Elyashiv.
Later he founded the society “Jewish Citizens of Latvia”, which united a large number of Riga’s Jews and played an important role in the early years of Latvian independence. After this society merged with the national-democrats inside the community, he established a left-wing faction, which later became the basis for the future People’s Party.
As the community’s secretary he organized several “people’s kitchens.” He was also the chairman of ORT in Latvia from the day of its foundation (1921), a member of the central committee of ORT in Berlin, and a member of its board.