Randolph L. Braham
Encyclopedia
Randolph L. Braham is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Graduate Center
of the City University of New York
. A specialist in comparative politics
and the Holocaust, he also is Director of The Graduate Center's Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over 60 books and has written over 300 articles and essays, the vast majority dealing with the Holocaust in Hungary.
in 1922, Professor Braham was raised in Dej
, a small rural town in Romanian-held Transylvania
. In 1940 Hungary
was allotted the northern part of Translyvania and less than four years later the Jews of Northern Transylvania were destroyed along with those of Hungary, excepting Budapest. Among those murdered were Professor Braham's parents and many other relatives.
He spent 1943-45 in a forced labor unit with the Hungarian and German armies in Ukraine
and was later incarcerated in a Soviet POW camp. Shortly after the war he received his M.A. from The City College of New York, and his Ph.D. from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research
.http://www.huembwas.org/News%20Archive/HRBraham.htm
Braham served as a member of the Academic Committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., and as a special adviser for the Museum of Jewish Heritage
, New York. His works were used as major source books by courts of law in various countries, including Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United States in cases involving restitution and war crimes.
His two-volume The Politics of Genocide: the Holocaust in Hungary won the 1981 Jewish National Book Award (USA), and earned him two citations in the Congressional Record
. Among his other honors are the Order of Merit Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Republic (1995), the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award of the Hungarian Ministry of Culture (2002), and Officer Rank of the Order of the Star of Romania
(2004). He returned his 2004 award in protest against the Romanian President's awarding the same award to a Rightist extremist.
In the 1998 Academy Award for Documentary Feature
-winning film The Last Days
Braham provided on-screen overviews of the Hungarian Holocaust.
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. A specialist in comparative politics
Comparative politics
Comparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
and the Holocaust, he also is Director of The Graduate Center's Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over 60 books and has written over 300 articles and essays, the vast majority dealing with the Holocaust in Hungary.
Biography
Born in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
in 1922, Professor Braham was raised in Dej
Dej
Dej is a city in northwestern Romania, 60 km north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the Someşul Mic River meets the river Someşul Mare River...
, a small rural town in Romanian-held Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. In 1940 Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
was allotted the northern part of Translyvania and less than four years later the Jews of Northern Transylvania were destroyed along with those of Hungary, excepting Budapest. Among those murdered were Professor Braham's parents and many other relatives.
He spent 1943-45 in a forced labor unit with the Hungarian and German armies 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...
and was later incarcerated in a Soviet POW camp. Shortly after the war he received his M.A. from The City College of New York, and his Ph.D. from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
.http://www.huembwas.org/News%20Archive/HRBraham.htm
Braham served as a member of the Academic Committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., and as a special adviser for the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located in lower Manhattan, is a living memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust. The Museum honors those who died by celebrating their lives – cherishing the traditions that they embraced, examining their achievements and faith, and affirming the vibrant...
, New York. His works were used as major source books by courts of law in various countries, including Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United States in cases involving restitution and war crimes.
His two-volume The Politics of Genocide: the Holocaust in Hungary won the 1981 Jewish National Book Award (USA), and earned him two citations in the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
. Among his other honors are the Order of Merit Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Republic (1995), the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award of the Hungarian Ministry of Culture (2002), and Officer Rank of the Order of the Star of Romania
Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
(2004). He returned his 2004 award in protest against the Romanian President's awarding the same award to a Rightist extremist.
In the 1998 Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
-winning film The Last Days
The Last Days
The Last Days is a documentary, directed by James Moll and produced by June Beallor and Kenneth Lipper in 1998. Steven Spielberg was one of the executive producers, in his role as founder of the Shoah Foundation. The film tells the the stories of five Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust...
Braham provided on-screen overviews of the Hungarian Holocaust.
Selected works
- 1963: The Destruction of Hungarian Jewry: a documentary account. 2 vols. New York: Pro Arte.
- 1977: The Hungarian Labor Service System, 1939-1945. Distributed by Columbia University Press. ISBN 0914710249
- 1981: see 1994
- 1994: The Politics of Genocide: the Holocaust in Hungary; revised and enlarged edition. 2 vols. Boulder: Social Science Monographs; Distributed by Columbia University Press ISBN 0880332476 [Hungarian translation available.] (1st ed.: New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.)
- 1997: A népirtás politikája. A Holocaust Magyarországon. 2 vols. [The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary]. Budapest: Belvárosi Könyvkiadó.
- 2001: The Holocaust in Hungary: a selected and annotated bibliography, 1984-2000. Boulder: Social Science Monographs; Distributed by Columbia University Press ISBN 0880334819
- 2007. A Magyarországi Holokauszt Földrajzi Enciklópédiája. 3 vols. [The Geographic Encyclopedia of the Holocaust in Hungary]. Budapest: Park Publishing.
- 1997: (with Attila Pók) The Holocaust in Hungary: fifty years later. Distributed by Columbia University Press. ISBN 088033374X
- 2007: (with Julia Bock) The Holocaust in Hungary: a selected and annotated bibliography, 2000-2007. [New York]: Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, Graduate Center/City University of New York; Boulder: Social Science Monographs ISBN 0880336285