Avraham Levin: The father of advertising at the ‘Post’

Avraham had shown his initiative and gift of negotiations during the early 1950s when the newspaper no longer suffered from the shortage of newsprint and developed a strategy of broadsheet special, huge supplements

By ALEXANDER ZVIELLI
Avraham Levin with his wife Ahuva in 1989. (photo credit: Zeev Ackerman/Jerusalem Post Archives)
Avraham Levin with his wife Ahuva in 1989.
(photo credit: Zeev Ackerman/Jerusalem Post Archives)
Avraham Levin, whose shiva we observe today, served as director of The Jerusalem Post’s Advertising Department. He was known as a man of polite and gentle manners, but of an iron will and infinite patience. He contributed greatly to the Post’s growth and development for some 50 years, 30 of them as an integral part of the newspaper’s management.
His family, three Levin brothers, immigrated to Israel from Poland in 1843 (5604) together with Aliyat Hashahar, a group of 70 early settlers which included members of the Rivlin family. Avraham, born in Jerusalem in 1925, was 16 years old when, following his graduations from the Tachkemoni and Alliance schools, he was brought to the Post by his father, Zalman Levin, one of the most efficient of the newspaper’s printing press linotypists, who had lost his eye in the bomb explosion, planted by the Arabs on the night of February 1, 1948, but still worked until his death in 1964. Two of Avraham’s brothers had also joined the Post’s staff, the oldest, Ya’acov, a linotypist, had became press manager, and the younger, Hananya, was also a linotypist, and became production superviser.
Avraham had shown his initiative and gift of negotiations during the early 1950s when the newspaper no longer suffered from the shortage of newsprint and developed a strategy of broadsheet special, huge supplements. Gershon Agron, the editor, was delighted with the manner in which his young favorite, “Avremele,” met this advertising challenge.
The first such supplement was devoted to the history and development of the Weizmann Institute and became an instant success. Many more such supplements, rich in advertising, followed and some of them achieved historical value.
Avraham passed this challenge with flying colors and became a master negotiator in bringing not only new advertisers, but entire Israeli institutions.
The Post staff and advertisers admired Avraham’s courteous, friendly but decisive attitude needed in the daily struggle with editors on dividing the limited space between the text and advertising. It was frequently up to him to explain that without adverts the newspaper would die and that the more he could obtain, the more the paper would grow.
The Post started its International Edition and French Edition, and the Advertising Department grew larger. Avraham instructed his new, larger staff on the proper and respectful public relations.
He also provided assistance for clients with translators and make-up men free of charge. He seemed to be present at the Post most of the time, sometimes until midnight. And yet he still found time and support for the Post’s welfare funds and to serve as an officer in the reserves.
In 1990, Avraham came out of retirement to join the staff of the newly established Jerusalem Report magazine, whose founding editor Hirsh Goodman he had given his first job, in the Post’s advertising department.
He is survived by two brothers, Ya’acov and Hanania, three children, grandchildren and great-granchildren. His daughter Tzipi married Ofer Rigbi, his son Ya’acov Levin married Hana, and his daughter Tali married Amir Ehud.
The writer is chief archivist of The Jerusalem Post.