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