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Dr. Raphael Mahler

He was born on the 15^th of August 1899 in Sondz (western Galicia). He studied in a yeshiva [religious secondary school] until he was 15 and in 1918 graduated from the gymnasia [secular secondary school] in Krakow. He studied history and philosophy in Vienna and there received the title of doctor in 1922. After returning to Poland he taught general and Jewish history, first in the Yavne [religious Zionist] Hebrew gymnazie in Lodz, then in the Lyceum Askala in Warsaw. Here he began to research the history of the Jews, in general, and of the Jews in Poland, in particular. He belonged to the left Poalei-Zion [Marxist-Zionists] movement from his youth on. He published articles in the weekly, Arbeter Zeitung [Workers Newspaper], and in Fraye Yungt [Free/Secular Youth] and was active in the youth and student movements.

He was connected with YIVO [Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut - Yiddish Scientific Institute] with his scientific work from its beginning in 1925 and was nominated there as a member of the history section.

He came to America at the end of 1937 and settled in New York. He was hired as a teacher at the seminary of the Jewish National Labor Alliance, at the Jefferson School for Social Studies and at the newly founded School of Jewish Studies.

In America he did his scientific work with YIVO. In his communal work he was active in the Committee of Jewish Writers, Artists and Scientists (founded in 1941 to unite the Jewish communities around the world) and in IKOR [Yidishe Kolonizatsie Organizatsie in Rusland – Organization for Jewish Colonization in Russia].

He published articles in Der Zukufnt [The Future], Yidishe Kultur, [Jewish Culture], Eynikeyt [Unity] and in the Tog [Day]. In his special area of scientific work are: Di Geshikte fun Yidn in Poyln [The History of the Jews in Poland], Di Ekonomish Ontviklung fun Yidishn Folk [The Economic Development of the Jewish People], Religiez-Tsociale Bavaygungen bei Yidn [Religious-Social Movements among Jews] (Karaite-Hasidim) and Di Ontviklung fun der Yidisher Historographie [The Development of Jewish Historiography].

In Poland, he was the editor of: Yunger Historiker [Young Historian], Bleter far Geshikter [Pages for History], Dos Visnshaftlekhe Lebn [The Scientific Life].

Dr. Mahler published dozens of treatises in the YIVO Bleter [YIVO Pages], historical writings at YIVO [and in]

Jewish Quarterly Review
Miesięcznik Żydowski [Jewish Monthly]
Encyclopedia Judaica
Jewish Social Studies, History, Judaica

Mekoyrim tsu der Geshikte fun Yidn in Poyln in der Tseit fun Mitl-Alter [Sources for the History of Jews in Poland during the Middle Ages], Warsaw, 1930 (with Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum);
Der Kamf Tsuvishn Haskalah un Hasidus in Galicia [The Fight Between the Enlightenment and Hasidus in Galicia], Library of YIVO, New York, 1942;
Jewish Emancipation – a Selection of Documents, publication of the American Jewish Committee, New York, 1942:
Jews in Public Service and Liberal Professions in Poland 1918-1939, publication of the American Jewish Committee;
Geshikte fun Yidn in Poyln [History of the Jews in Poland] (up to the 19^th century), published in Eretz-Yisroel in Hebrew by Sifriat Poalim Publishing Company, 1946; to be published soon in Yiddish by IKUF [Yidisher Kultur Farband – Yiddish Cultural Union] Publishing House.

Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum, one of the initiators of an historical book about Czenstochow   Some Co-Workers Several co-workers on the book, Czenstochower Yidn [Czenstochower Jews]

Gina Medem		Y. Sh. Herc

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