Victor Bienstock papers

Victor Bienstock was born on May 21, 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut. He began his career as a reporter in 1929, joining "The New York World," then the "New York Herald Tribune." He became managing editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from 1933-1935, then served as the JTA's chief foreign service editor in London. In England, he met and married Rebecca Kosiner; the couple had two daughters: Marion and Susan. In 1940, the Bienstock family returned to the United States, where Victor became chief foreign editor of the Overseas News Agency, a JTA subsidiary. He spent the next five years overseas as a war correspondent, reporting from London, Cairo, Italy, and Rome, behind the front lines of the Allied Armies. Since he worked for a Jewish press, he was especially atuned to stories about Nazi atrocities against Jews. He remained with the ONA until 1949. From 1950-1970, Bienstock was general manager, editor, and vice president of JTA. In 1970, he served as the first executive editor of the New York Jewish Week. Bienstock retired in 1975 and wrote a syndicated weekly column for national Jewish newspapers. He passed away on August 28, 1987.