Shapiro, Leon.

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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.

From the guide to the Leon Shapiro Papers MS 127., 1939-1984, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries)

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Birth 1905-07-14

Death 1984-12-25

English

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