Abel Shaban, the former chairman of ORT and OSE in South Africa and member of both organizations’ world executives, has died here at the age of 70. Born in Krakinava, Lithuania, Shaban began his writing career on the Kovno Yiddish Shtimme as one of its provincial reporters. After his arrival in South Africa in the late 1920s, he worked as a journalist on various publications and also published a novel, “Homeless Days.” Shaban left journalism for business during World War II and amassed a fortune. He was instrumental in helping procure arms for the Haganah in the last stages of the British Mandate in Palestine.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.