Herb Brin

Herb Brin (February 17, 1915 – February 6, 2003) was an editor and journalist for largely Jewish publications in Chicago and California.

Journalism and publishing career

Brin started his news career at his hometown paper, the City News Bureau of Chicago. He said: "I joined the Nazi party at the Hausfaterland, on western Avenue across from Riverview Park.... It was a hotbed of Nazi activity". Brin reported their actions to the Anti-defamation League. Separately, and without the League's knowledge, Brin reported the Nazi movements to local Jewish mobsters. Of this Brin said: "I marched with the Nazis, but I came back later with Jewish gangs and we beat them up good". This strain of Brin's reportage continued late into the newsman's career: he later wrote investigative pieces on American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell and Holocaust denier Willis Carto. In his 70s, Brin demanded a tour of the Aryan Nations compound in Hayden Lake, Idaho, making clear that he was a Jewish journalist. He got the tour. Heritage-Southwest Jewish Press (Los Angeles, weekly, circulation 10800; circulation 13500 in 1988 At time of death, only Brin's San Diego Heritage branch remained.

Personal life Brin was born in Chicago. He attended Crane Junior College, DePaul University and the University of Chicago.

Brin's father was Sol Brin, a writer and Polish immigrant. At time of death, his son David lived in San Diego, Daniel in West Hills, and Stan, a business writer, in Orange County.

Brin attended the Minyan of Adat Shalom at West Los Angeles for part of his life. He was religious, but not always involved regularly in the organized community.