Lofman, Jacob

Jacob Lofman (1911-2002) was a Polish-born photojournalist who maintained a lifelong interest in Jewish history and culture, and was involved with organizations devoted to Socialist Zionism and various forms of socialism (including, for some years, Trotskyism). His photographic work appeared in many mass-market magazines, and was distributed for many years by the agency, PIX, Inc.

He was born on August 31, 1911 in Poland and apparently joined the Socialist Zionist organization, Hashomer Hatzair at an early age. He continued his membership in the group in the U.S. and wrote for its New York-based publication, Hashomer Hatzair . After emigrating to the United States he became a professional photographer; his work was widely distributed through the agency PIX, Inc. Among the many celebrities he photographed were Robert Frost and Sugar Ray Robinson, and one of his photographs was included in the historic "Family of Man" Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955. He and his wife, Rivke, had no children.

He read widely in Jewish culture and socialist politics, in several languages, and was associated with a number of socialist groups and parties in the U.S. He was a follower of Max Shachtman by the late 1930s and was a member of Shachtman's Workers Party in the 40s; he resigned from the Party, following a dispute with Shachtman, ca. 1948. He became involved with the Socialist Party in the 1950s, with Michael Harrington's Democratic Socialists of America in the 1960s and 70s, and eventually with Social Democrats, USA. He continued to read widely in left political literature, was a speaker on left and Jewish themes, and wrote for a number of newspapers, journals and newsletters over the years.