Levitas became a Socialist at age 15, became a
Menshevik and close friend of
Alexander Kerensky. In 1916, he first visited Chicago but returned home after the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917. After the
Bolshevik Revolution, he was imprisoned several times. In 1923, dressed as a
Red Army colonel, he fled to New York City. He joined the
Socialist Party of America and wrote for the
Jewish Daily Forward and the
Leader. On January 19, 1924, the first issue of
The New Leader hit newsstands. In 1930, Levitas became its business manager. In 1936, after years of infighting, editor
James Oneal left Levitas in charge. In 1939, Levitas attacked the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In 1943, he criticized
Upton Sinclair for signing a petition in support of the Soviet Union. In 1945, Levitas criticized all accommodation with the USSR (e.g., the
Yalta Conference). By 1949, the magazine was in dire financial straits. In 1950, Levitas said that "friends" were contributing to the magazine and in 1957 said that amount with $15,000 per year. ==Personal life and death==