Leo Motzkin
Encyclopedia
Leo Motzkin was a Russian Zionist leader. A leader of the World Zionist Congress and numerous Jewish and Zionist organizations, Motzkin was a key organizer of the Jewish delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
and one of the first Jewish leaders to organize opposition to the Nazi Party in Germany
.
, near the city of Kiev
in Ukraine
, then a part of the Russian Empire
. He was raised and educated according to the culture and traditions of the Jewish community. Motzkin had witnessed the 1881 anti-Jewish pogrom
in Kiev but escaped to Berlin
, the capital of Germany. He was accepted into the University of Berlin at the age of 16, after graduating from high school. Studying Sociology
and Mathematics
, Motzkin continued on to pursue doctoral studies. At the university, Motzkin helped found the Russian Jewish Academic Association in 1887 and soon became a full-fledged activist in the Zionist movement
.
Motzkin participated in the First Zionist Congress
in 1897 and became close to the Zionist leader Theodore Herzl, who sent him on a mission to Palestine
to investigate the problems of the Jewish community; contrary to other leaders such as Baron Rothschild
and Hovevei Zion
, Motzkin favored co-operation with the Ottoman Empire
for Jewish interests. Motzkin represented the "Democratic Fraction" at the Fifth Congress in 1901.
In 1905, Motzkin published "The Russian Correspondence" anonymously. Most of his attention was devoted to the Jewish problem and Anti-Semitism
. In 1909, the Zionist Organization commissioned Motzkin to write a book about the pogroms in Russia, where he described the history of anti-Jewish violence and emphasized the importance of "Jewish Self-Defense" efforts to protect themselves against continuing violence and pogroms. He organized an information service and a campaign against blood libel
s. During World War I
, Motzkin presided over the Copenhagen
office of the Zionist organization and worked as liaison between the Zionist organizations in the countries at war. Leo Motzkin also traveled to the United States
to collect funds for Jewish refugees and lobby for the protection of Russian Jews. In August 1914, Motzkin joined Franz Oppenheimer
and Adolf Friedemann to create a German Committee for Freeing of Russian Jews
, which the German Foreign Ministry supported. Motzkin proceeded to establish a Jewish delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 to represent the interests of Jews across Europe and lobbied for the creation of a World Jewish Congress
to represent Jewish minorities worldwide (the organization was later made a permanent institution under the League of Nations
).
Throughout his life, Motzkin was active in leading numerous Zionist committees as well as the International Congress of National Minorities
. Motzkin endorsed the February Revolution in Russia, which he saw as aiding the liberation of the Jews of Russia. Motzkin was an early and leading opponent of the Nazi Party, organizing opposition to it and lobbying the League of Nations to ensure the safety of the German Jewish population.
while working for the cause of German Jews. He was re-interred in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem in 1934. In 1939, the "Motzkin Book", a selection of his writings and speeches, was published posthumously. He was the father of the noted mathematician Theodore Motzkin
.
Kiryat Motzkin (founded 1934) is named after Leo Motzkin.
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
and one of the first Jewish leaders to organize opposition to the Nazi Party in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Early life
Leo Motzkin was born in the town of BrovaryBrovary
Brovary is a city in Kiev Oblast in northern Ukraine, an eastern suburb of the country's capital, Kiev. It is the administrative centre of the Brovarskyi Raion . Brovary is an ancient town, firstly mentioned in 1630. Its name translated from Ukrainian means "brewers"...
, near the city of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, then a part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He was raised and educated according to the culture and traditions of the Jewish community. Motzkin had witnessed the 1881 anti-Jewish pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
in Kiev but escaped to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the capital of Germany. He was accepted into the University of Berlin at the age of 16, after graduating from high school. Studying Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Motzkin continued on to pursue doctoral studies. At the university, Motzkin helped found the Russian Jewish Academic Association in 1887 and soon became a full-fledged activist in the Zionist movement
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
.
Activism
First Zionist Congress
The First Zionist Congress was the inaugural congress of the Zionist Organization held in Basel , Switzerland, from August 29 to August 31, 1897. It was convened and chaired by Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism movement...
in 1897 and became close to the Zionist leader Theodore Herzl, who sent him on a mission to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to investigate the problems of the Jewish community; contrary to other leaders such as Baron Rothschild
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
and Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion , also known as Hibbat Zion , refers to organizations that are now considered the forerunners and foundation-builders of modern Zionism....
, Motzkin favored co-operation with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
for Jewish interests. Motzkin represented the "Democratic Fraction" at the Fifth Congress in 1901.
In 1905, Motzkin published "The Russian Correspondence" anonymously. Most of his attention was devoted to the Jewish problem and Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. In 1909, the Zionist Organization commissioned Motzkin to write a book about the pogroms in Russia, where he described the history of anti-Jewish violence and emphasized the importance of "Jewish Self-Defense" efforts to protect themselves against continuing violence and pogroms. He organized an information service and a campaign against blood libel
Blood libel
Blood libel is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays...
s. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Motzkin presided over the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
office of the Zionist organization and worked as liaison between the Zionist organizations in the countries at war. Leo Motzkin also traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to collect funds for Jewish refugees and lobby for the protection of Russian Jews. In August 1914, Motzkin joined Franz Oppenheimer
Franz Oppenheimer
Franz Oppenheimer was a German-Jewish sociologist and political economist, who published also in the area of the fundamental sociology of the state.-Personal life:...
and Adolf Friedemann to create a German Committee for Freeing of Russian Jews
German Committee for Freeing of Russian Jews
The German Committee for the Freeing of Russian Jews was created in August, 1914 by Franz Oppenheimer, Adolf Friedman and Leo Motzkin to lobby for the socio-political liberation of Jewish people living in the Russian Empire and ensuring their protection from pogroms...
, which the German Foreign Ministry supported. Motzkin proceeded to establish a Jewish delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 to represent the interests of Jews across Europe and lobbied for the creation of a World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
to represent Jewish minorities worldwide (the organization was later made a permanent institution under the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
).
Throughout his life, Motzkin was active in leading numerous Zionist committees as well as the International Congress of National Minorities
International Congress of National Minorities
The International Congress of National Minorities was an organization formed after the First World War to lobby for the rights of ethnic and religious minorities living in the nations of Europe and much of Asia, especially in the aftermath of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman...
. Motzkin endorsed the February Revolution in Russia, which he saw as aiding the liberation of the Jews of Russia. Motzkin was an early and leading opponent of the Nazi Party, organizing opposition to it and lobbying the League of Nations to ensure the safety of the German Jewish population.
Death
Motzkin died in 1933 in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
while working for the cause of German Jews. He was re-interred in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem in 1934. In 1939, the "Motzkin Book", a selection of his writings and speeches, was published posthumously. He was the father of the noted mathematician Theodore Motzkin
Theodore Motzkin
Theodore Samuel Motzkin was an Israeli-American mathematician.- Biography :Motzkin's father, Leo Motzkin, was a noted Russian Zionist leader.Motzkin received his Ph.D...
.
Kiryat Motzkin (founded 1934) is named after Leo Motzkin.