Nahum Gergel
Encyclopedia
Nahum Gergel was a Jewish rights activist, humanitarian, sociologist, and author in Yiddish
. Nahum Gergel is best known for his thorough statistical studies of anti-Jewish
atrocities (pogroms
) that took place in Ukraine
in 1918-1921.
Gergel received a traditional Jewish education
, then studied law in Kiev (Ukraine). In 1914 he graduated from Kiev University
and moved to St. Petersburg
where he became active politically, as a Jewish rights activist and as a humanitarian. He lived in Russia, Ukraine, and eventually Germany where he emigrated in 1921. Gergel died at the age of 44 of a sudden heart attack
, and was buried in the Weissensee cemetery
in Berlin in 1931.
in Petrograd. In May 1918 he was elected President of EKOPO, and remained its leader till 1921 when he left Russia for Germany.
During this period Gergel also worked in the governing board of ORT
(Obshchestvo Ruchnogo Truda - Society for the Manual Labor - a well-known Jewish international philanthropy and education-promoting society). In July 1920 - 1921 he was elected Chairman of IDGESKOM (Jewish People's Relief Committee). During WWI
Gergel formed a group of activists that fought against accusations of Jews being German spies. He organized resettlement to Poltava for thousands of Jewish families that were deported by the Russian Government
from the near-front Kurland and Kovno regions.
(ZSWP) and was elected to its Central Committee. After the February 1917 Revolution
in Russia, Gergel was elected a ZSWP’s representative in the Petrograd Soviet
of the Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. After the union of ZSWP and JSWP (Jewish Socialist Workers Party
), Gergel became a member of the new party Central Committee and soon was elected to that party’s All-Russia Committee.
liquidated the Committee in May 1920. At the same time as he was working in different pogrom aid organizations, Gergel tirelessly collected materials and statistical data
on anti-Jewish pogroms. Results of this work were later published in Europe.
Gergel’s study of pogroms is very often quoted as the proof that the Ukrainian National Republic
army, led by Symon Petliura, incited and took part in pogroms. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
in the early text of his book “Two Hundred Years Together” says that "According to Nahum Gergel's 1951 study of the pogroms in Ukraine, out of an estimated 887 mass pogroms, about 40% were perpetrated by the Ukrainian forces led by Symon Petliura". In the later editions of the book Solzhenitsyn replaces reference to Gergel by words "Jewish sources", so do some other authors who quote Gergel's figures and statistical analysis without mentioning his name - for example G. Kostyrchenko in his "Stalin's Secret Policy. Power And Antisemitism.". It’s worth noting that the study referred to by Solzhenitsyn was carried out by Gergel in 1918-early 1920-s, and was first published in 1928 in Berlin in Yiddish. Gergel's figures on the pogrom, which are generally considered conservative, are based on the testimony of witnesses and newspaper reports collected by the Mizrakh-Yiddish Historische Archiv (Mizrahi Jewish Historical Archives), which was first based in Kiev, then Berlin and later New York. The English version of Gergel's article was published in 1951 in the YIVO Annual of Jewish Social Science titled "The Pogroms in the Ukraine in 1918-1921"
. In 1925 he visited the USA as an OZE delegate. In 1926 Gergel was appointed as the JDC
(stands for “American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee”) expert on the Russian Jewish affairs.
Gergel pioneered the inception of Algemeyne Entsiklopedye (1932–1966, the first comprehensive encyclopedia in the Yiddish language). This project was the reason for his next trip to the US.
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
. Nahum Gergel is best known for his thorough statistical studies of anti-Jewish
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...
atrocities (pogroms
Pogroms in Ukraine
It is estimated that one third of Europe's Jews lived in Ukraine, which from 1791 to 1917 partly belonged to the Pale of Settlement. The concentration of Jews in this region made them an easy target for pogroms and massive, anti-Jewish riots.-During Czarist Russia:...
) that took place 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...
in 1918-1921.
Gergel received a traditional Jewish education
Jewish education
Jewish education is the transmission of the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism. Due to its emphasis on Torah study, many have commented that Judaism is characterised by "lifelong learning" that extends to adults as much as it does to children.-History:The tradition of Jewish...
, then studied law in Kiev (Ukraine). In 1914 he graduated from Kiev University
Kiev University
Taras Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , colloquially known in Ukrainian as KNU is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and Kharkiv University. Currently, its structure...
and moved to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
where he became active politically, as a Jewish rights activist and as a humanitarian. He lived in Russia, Ukraine, and eventually Germany where he emigrated in 1921. Gergel died at the age of 44 of a sudden heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, and was buried in the Weissensee cemetery
Weißensee Cemetery
The Weißensee Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the neighborhood of Weißensee in Berlin, Germany. It is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The cemetery covers approximately and contains approximately 115,000 graves. It was dedicated in 1880....
in Berlin in 1931.
Jewish aid organizations
In January 1915 Gergel joined the EKOPO (Jewish Committee for the Aid of War Victims), and in September 1915 he was elected its chairman. Starting September 1916 Gergel worked in the EKOPO Central CommitteeCentral Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
in Petrograd. In May 1918 he was elected President of EKOPO, and remained its leader till 1921 when he left Russia for Germany.
During this period Gergel also worked in the governing board of ORT
World ORT
World ORT is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish and other people through training and education, with past and present activities in over 100 countries....
(Obshchestvo Ruchnogo Truda - Society for the Manual Labor - a well-known Jewish international philanthropy and education-promoting society). In July 1920 - 1921 he was elected Chairman of IDGESKOM (Jewish People's Relief Committee). During WWI
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...
Gergel formed a group of activists that fought against accusations of Jews being German spies. He organized resettlement to Poltava for thousands of Jewish families that were deported by the Russian Government
Politics of Russia
The politics of Russia take place in a framework of a federal semi-presidential republic. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed...
from the near-front Kurland and Kovno regions.
Political Parties
In his youth Gergel participated in The Bund, later he joined the Zionist Socialist Workers PartyZionist Socialist Workers Party
Zionist Socialist Workers Party , often referred to simply as 'Zionist-Socialists' or 'S.S.' by their Russian initials, was a Jewish socialist territorialist political party in the Russian Empire and Poland, that emerged out of the Vozrozhdenie group in 1904. The party held its founding conference...
(ZSWP) and was elected to its Central Committee. After the February 1917 Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
in Russia, Gergel was elected a ZSWP’s representative in the Petrograd Soviet
Petrograd Soviet
The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies , usually called the Petrograd Soviet , was the soviet in Petrograd , Russia, established in March 1917 after the February Revolution as the representative body of the city's workers.The Petrograd Soviet became important during the Russian...
of the Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. After the union of ZSWP and JSWP (Jewish Socialist Workers Party
Jewish Socialist Workers Party
The Jewish Socialist Workers Party , often nicknamed Seymists, was a Jewish socialist political party in the Russian Empire. The party was founded in April 1906, emerging out of the Vozrozhdenie circles. The Vozrozhdenie was a non-Marxist tendency which was led by the nonmarxist thinker and...
), Gergel became a member of the new party Central Committee and soon was elected to that party’s All-Russia Committee.
Jewish Ministry of Ukraine
In early 1918 Gergel was appointed chairman of the bureau of the Jewish Ministry of Ukraine. After the Getman Skoropadskyi’s coup in April 1918, Gergel became effectively the head of the Jewish Ministry of Ukraine.Anti-Jewish Pogroms
Severe anti-Jewish pogroms erupted in 1918–1921 in Ukraine; in this period Gergel was an active member of the Pogrom Victims Aid Committee. At the same time he worked as a chief of the Pogrom Relief Department in the People’s Security Commissariat. In December 1919, Gergel was appointed representative of the Red Cross’ Pogrom Aid Committee where he worked until the Soviet GovernmentPolitics of the Soviet Union
The political system of the Soviet Union was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , the only party permitted by Constitution.For information about the government, see Government of the Soviet Union-Background:...
liquidated the Committee in May 1920. At the same time as he was working in different pogrom aid organizations, Gergel tirelessly collected materials and statistical data
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
on anti-Jewish pogroms. Results of this work were later published in Europe.
Gergel’s study of pogroms is very often quoted as the proof that the Ukrainian National Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
army, led by Symon Petliura, incited and took part in pogroms. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
in the early text of his book “Two Hundred Years Together” says that "According to Nahum Gergel's 1951 study of the pogroms in Ukraine, out of an estimated 887 mass pogroms, about 40% were perpetrated by the Ukrainian forces led by Symon Petliura". In the later editions of the book Solzhenitsyn replaces reference to Gergel by words "Jewish sources", so do some other authors who quote Gergel's figures and statistical analysis without mentioning his name - for example G. Kostyrchenko in his "Stalin's Secret Policy. Power And Antisemitism.". It’s worth noting that the study referred to by Solzhenitsyn was carried out by Gergel in 1918-early 1920-s, and was first published in 1928 in Berlin in Yiddish. Gergel's figures on the pogrom, which are generally considered conservative, are based on the testimony of witnesses and newspaper reports collected by the Mizrakh-Yiddish Historische Archiv (Mizrahi Jewish Historical Archives), which was first based in Kiev, then Berlin and later New York. The English version of Gergel's article was published in 1951 in the YIVO Annual of Jewish Social Science titled "The Pogroms in the Ukraine in 1918-1921"
Emigration to Germany: humanitarian activities
At the close of 1921 Gergel arrived in Berlin where he continued his diverse political and activist work. He started with forming the OZE (“Jewish Health Society”) Committee Abroad (together with Kreinin and other activists). In 1922 he was elected to the Committee Secretariat and assumed the role of editor of “OZE Bulletin”. At this time Gergel worked in Mizrakh-Yiddish Historische Archiv where he stored all materials on anti-Jewish pogroms he had collected. In 1923 Gergel was elected the Secretary General of ORTWorld ORT
World ORT is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish and other people through training and education, with past and present activities in over 100 countries....
. In 1925 he visited the USA as an OZE delegate. In 1926 Gergel was appointed as the JDC
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
(stands for “American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee”) expert on the Russian Jewish affairs.
Gergel pioneered the inception of Algemeyne Entsiklopedye (1932–1966, the first comprehensive encyclopedia in the Yiddish language). This project was the reason for his next trip to the US.
Work in YIVO–Institute for Jewish Studies
Gergel was one of the founders and an active member of Institute for the Jewish Studies (YIVO) in Berlin. At the YIVO conference in Vilna in October 1929 he was elected a member of the YIVO Governing Board. He worked as an economics-statistics section editor and contributed to the “YIVO Bleter” journal. Gergel's socio-economical study of Russian Jews in the early Soviet era was published in his book "On the Situation Of Jews In Russia" in Yiddish (Warsaw, 1929).Publications and Unpublished Work
Gergel collected more material than he was able to publish during his short life. His large monograph, “The Jewish Ministry under Getman” (“Das Judische Ministerium Unter Getman”), was never published.- Book in Yiddish: Gergel, N. “Di Lage fun di Yidn in Rusland”, 259 p., Warsaw, 1929.
- Article in English: Gergel, N. “The Pogroms in the Ukraine In 1918–1921”, YIVO Annual of Jewish Social Science, New York, 1951, p. 237-252. (This is English translation of the article in Yiddish originally published in 1928 in Shriftn far Ekonomik un Statistik).
- Article in Yiddish: “Jews in the Communist Party and the Communist International” (“Shriftn far Economisch und Statistisch” 1928).
- Multiple articles in Yiddish in YIVO Bleter: (ex.: 1931, p. 62-70)
- Several important articles by Gergel were published in the New York paper “Zukunft” (“The Future”) in 1920-s, and early 1930-s.