Shapiro, Leon – Special Collections & University Archives

Leon Shapiro Papers

1939-1985

15 boxes 8.75 linear feet

Call no.: MS 127

Historian, author, Professor of Russian and Soviet Jewish History at Rutgers University, who helped arrange the escape of Jews from Europe during World War II and was active in several organizations concerned with the emigration of Soviet and Eastern European Jews to Palestine. Papers include biographical materials, correspondence, legal documents, writings, lecture and research materials, statistical data in the world Jewish population before and after World War II, oral history transcripts, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and four photographs.

Biographical Note

Leon Shapiro (1905-1984) was a historian and Professor of Russian and Soviet Jewish History at Rutgers University; author of The History of ORT: A Jewish Movement for Social Change; a 35-year contributor of articles to “The American Jewish
Yearbook”; fluent speaker of Yiddish, Hebrew, English,
Russian, German, French, and Ukrainian; helped arrange the
escape of Jews from Europe during World War II; and an active
member in several organizations concerned with the emigration
of Soviet and Eastern European Jews to Palestine and other
issues related to Judaism.

1905	Born July 14, in Hersun (Korsun, Korsoun, Hersein), Kiev, Russia, to Mark and Freida Scheinblum Shapiro.
1923	Candidate for degree in Social Sciences and Law, University of Kiev. Imprisoned for anti-Bolshevik activities.
1925	Exiled to Palestine.
1928	Diplome de Licencie en Droit, Social Sciences and Law, University of Toulouse.
1935	Married in Paris to Leorfore Rita Willdorff; divorced in 1940.
1940	Secretary General, Federation des Societes Juives de France, Paris
1941-1949	Research Associate, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, New York.
1941	Immigrated to U.S.
1946	Married Luba.
1954-1956	Assistant Director, Cultural Department, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
1964-1967	Research Associate, Columbia University Seminar in International Research Methods.
1964-1972	Assistant Executive Director, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.
1968-1978	Professor, Russian and Soviet Jewish History, Department of Hebraic Studies and Soviet/Eastern European Studies Program, Rutgers University.
1972-1973	Adjunct Professor, Queens College, School of General Studies, City College of New York.
1973	Adjunct Associate Professor, Judaic Studies, Brooklyn College, City College of New York.
1974-1975	Adjunct Associate Professor, Academy Without Walls, Haifa University.
1978-1979	Professor, Empire State College.
1984	Died, December 25, New York City.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Leon Shapiro papers (1939-1984) pertain primarily to Soviet and Eastern European Jewry before and after World War II and to the formation of the nation of Israel in personal, research, and published materials.

The collection comprises biographical materials, correspondence, legal documents, audio-tapes, four photographs, writings, newspaper clippings, research materials, oral history transcripts, printed materials, and statistical data.

This collection is organized into seven series:

Series 1. Bio-Bibliographical, 1940-1984
Series 2. Correspondence, 1945-1984
Series 3. Subject Files, 1955-1984
Series 4. Writings, 1939-1984
Series 5. Research Materials, 1940s-1980s
Series 6. Oral Histories, 1974-1979
Series 7. Printed Materials, 1949-1985

Information on Use

Terms of Access and Use

Restrictions on access:

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Leon Shapiro Papers (MS 127). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

History of the Collection

Acquired from Luba Shapiro, Leon’s wife, via Michael
Wolff and Stanley Radosh, 1986.

Processing Information

Processed by Linda Seidman, December 1986.

Additional Information

Sponsor

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation.

Language

English and
French

Series Descriptions

Series 1. Biographical and Bibliographical

1940-1984

Shapiro’s legal papers and official documents,
biographical information, two audio-tape interviews of
Mr. Shapiro, newspaper obituaries, and publication lists
are in Series 1.

Series 2. Correspondence

1945-1984

Incoming letters and typescript copies of outgoing
letters, mostly professional, some personal, are in
Series 2, alphabetically arranged. Notable are the
letters from Romanian Jews seeking immigration to Israel
(1970s). Series 2 also contains a photograph of a
painting titled “On Both Sides of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall
1943” sent by the artist, Israel Beinbauer, and three
other unidentified photographs, ca. 1931 Vienna.

Series 3. Subject files

1955-1984

Subject files in Series 3 are divided into two
sections, arranged alphabetically. The first contains
materials related to Shapiro’s professional and personal
interests, and includes pamphlets and minutes of meetings
from the program for Jewish Studies Without Walls, his
two audio-tape lectures on the History of Soviet Jewry, a
certificate and badge of Honor from the American Jewish
Joint Distribution Committee along with Russian newspaper
articles, various committee materials, and independent
research projects. The second section is primarily
comprised of Rutgers University student papers,
correspondence, and lectures.

Series 4. Writings

1939-1984

Handwritten, typescript, and photocopies of various
articles about the Soviet Union submitted to the American
Jewish Yearbook for publication, along with their printed
versions, are arranged chronologically in Series 4. Also
present are statistics on the World Jewish Population,
correspondence relating to publishing, ORT papers, book
reviews, and an audio-tape of the 1980 ORT Rabbinic
Scholar Conference.

Series 5. Research Materials

1940s-1980s

Census and other statistical data on the world Jewish
population before and after World War II, together with
descriptions of French concentration camps and Jewish
life in occupied France, are in Series 5 in chronological
order. Notable are the materials regarding Irgun,
Haganah, and Palestine. This series contains a message to
British soldiers dated 1947, other Hebrew documents,
newspaper articles, and transcripts of political
broadcasts relating to the foundation of Israel. Also in
Series 5 there are reference materials on Jewish
resistance during the holocaust and in Palestine.

Series 6. Oral Histories

1974-1979

Series 6 contains transcripts and seven audio-tapes
from the Lautenberg Oral History Collection of Surviving
Eastern European Communities, listed alphabetically.
These describe Jewish life before Hitler and Stalin
assumed power.

Series 7. Printed Materials

1949-1985

Pamphlets, booklets, articles, and miscellaneous
ephemera relating to Soviet and European Jewry and
holocaust survivors are in this series.

Contents List


Series 1. Biographical and Bibliographical	1940-1984
Vita and Biographical articles		Box 1:1
Lists of Publications		Box 1:2
Official Documents: Birth, Marriage	1940-1945	Box 1:3
Official Documents: Citizenship, Travel	1929-1946	Box 1:4
Official Documents: Education, Work	1940-1946	Box 1:5
Obituaries	1984	Box 1:6
Interview: LS interviewed by Rabbi Seligson on “Message of Israel”, audiotape	1980	Box 1:7
Interview: LS interviewed by Sheila Zucker, WEVD-FM, audiotape	1980	Box 1:8


Series 2. Correspondence	1945-1984
A – American Committee		Box 1:9
American Jewish Committee – American Jewish Yearbook		Box 1:10
American ORT Federation		Box 1:11
B – C		Box 1:12
D – G		Box 1:13
H – K		Box 1:14
L – Ma		Box 1:15
Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture		Box 1:16
Mon – N		Box 1:17
O – Wol		Box 1:18
Women’s American ORT		Box 1:19
World ORT Union		Box 1:20
Wos – Z, unidentified		Box 1:21
75th birthday greetings		Box 1:22


Series 3. Subject files	1955-1984
Academy for Jewish Studies Without Walls	1973-1977	Box 2:23
American Council for Emigres in the Professions	1979	Box 2:24
American Jewish Committee talk, Irving	n.d.	Box 2:25
American Joint Distribution Committee–Certificate of Honor	1984	Box 2:26
Association for Jewish Studies	1976	Box 2:27
Brooklyn College	1973	Box 2:28
Columbia University	1965	Box 2:29
Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture	c1982	Box 2:30
National Endowment for the Humanities	1979	Box 2:31
New York Association for New Americans	1975-1978	Box 2:32
ORT Jewish Book Fair, Detroit, packet	1980	Box 2:33
ORT: National Rabbinic Scholar Conference	1980	Box 2:34
Pasternak, Boris, clippings	1958	Box 2:34a
Project on 100 Years of Jewish Life in Russia and USSR	1919-1984	Box 2:35
Queens College	1972-1978	Box 2:36
Rutgers: class handouts		Box 2:37
Rutgers: course materials		Box 2:38
Rutgers: Hebraic Studies Department	1973-1977	Box 2:39
Rutgers: Jews in Eastern Europe, Lecture Notes and background materials		Box 3:40
Rutgers: Lectures-Eastern European Jews	1955-1967	Box 3:41
Rutgers (and Queens): Modern Anti-Semitism–Lecture notes and suppl.		Box 3:42
Rutgers: University position–correspondence and documents	1968-1978	Box 3:43-46
Rutgers: Soviet and East European Program–memos and correspondence	1970-1981	Box 4:47
Rutgers: Soviet and East European Program–reports, lists, etc.	1971-1977	Box 4:48
Schwartz (?), Part I, edited ts draft	n.d.	Box 4:49
Society for Research on Jewish Communities	1981	Box 4:50
Solidarity	1981-1982	Box 4:51
Stalin-Alliluyeva, Svetlana	1967	Box 4:52
Students’ papers		Box 4:53
Students’ papers		Box 4:54
Students’ papers		Box 4:55
Students’ papers		Box 4:56
Students’ papers		Box 5:57
Students’ papers		Box 5:58
Students’ papers		Box 5:59
Students’ papers		Box 5:60
Students’ papers		Box 5:61
Students’ papers		Box 5:62
Synagogue Council of America	1973-1981	Box 5:63
Union of Russian Jews	1975-1976	Box 5:64
World Union of Jewish Studies	1963-1980	Box 5:65
Zipperstein, Steven: “First Years of Jewish Odessa” 1978		Box 5:66
Unidentified items		Box 5:67


Series 4. Writings	1939-1984
American Jewish Yearbook –ms, typescript, and printed versions of LS contributions	1939-1984	Box 6:68-80
“L’Influence Juive Chez Marcel Proust” –ms; also ms or notes on Charles Plisnier	c.1942	Box 7:81
“Foyer de la Bibliotheque de la Sorbonne” –dialogue	1962	Box 7:82
Encyclopedia Judaica articles: correspondence about and typescript	1964-1966	Box 7:83
“Russian Jewry after Stalin”, in Russian Jewry 1917-1967	1969	Box 7:84
“Passover Restrictions in the Soviet Union”, Jewish Telegraphic Agency Passover Release No. 9	1970	Box 7:85
History of the Jews in Russia and Polandby Simon Dubnow, reissued–biog., intro., and outline history by LS: correspondence., reviews, publicity	1975	Box 7:86
“Soviet Jewry since the Death of Stalin” –typescript draft and reprint from American Jewish Yearbook, 1979	1978	Box 7:87
History of ORT	1976-1980	Box 7:88-91
Guide to the Material on ORT’s History	1981	Box 7:92
“Mid-passage–50 Years of ORT: Short Comments”		Box 7:93
Speech: ORT Rabbinic/Scholar Conference, audiotape	1980	Box 7:94
Speech: “ORT in Jewish Life”		Box 7:95
Speech: “ORT’s Origins”		Box 7:96
Speech: “Jews and Jewish Communities in Eastern and Central Europe–An Overview”	1980	Box 7:97
Jews Under Tyranny: The Soviet Union -outline	1980s	Box 7:98
Additional notes re: USSR		Box 7:99
Jewish Life in Russia and the USSR –outline, chapter, ms, corresp.	1983	Box 8:100
One Hundred Years of Jewish Life in the Russian Empire and Under Soviet Rule -outline	n.d.	Box 8:101
Soviet Russia/Russian Jewry in the 20th Century–lecture notes (?),writing preparation (?)		Box 8:102
Book reviews	1964-1984	Box 8:103


Series 5. Research Materials	1940s-1980s
World Jewish Population	1940s-1980s	Box 9:105-114
Soviet, Russian, and East European Jewry		Box 10:115-126
ORT, Gide		Box 11:127-135
Irgun, Haganah, Palestine		Box 12:136


Series 6. Oral Histories	1974-1979
Project documents, Transcripts A-Z, tapes	1974-1979	Box 13-14:137-140


Series 7. Printed Materials	1949-1985
Printed versions of writings by others	1949-1985	Box 15:141

Subjects

Europe, Eastern--Ethnic relations--History--20th centuryIsrael--Emigration and immigration--HistoryIsrael--History--1948-1967Jews, Soviet--History--SourcesJews--Europe, Eastern--History--SourcesJews--Migration--HistoryJews--Population--HistoryJews--Soviet Union--History--SourcesOccupational training for Jews--History--SourcesPalestine--History--1929-1948Romania--Emigration and immigration--HistoryRutgers University--CurriculaRutgers University--FacultySoviet Union--Ethnic relations--HistoryWorld ORT Union--History

Contributors

Shapiro, Leon

Types of material

Oral historiesPhotographs

Related collections: East & Central Europe, Judaica, Oral history, Social change, World War II