John Klier
Encyclopedia
Professor John Klier was a pioneering historian of Russian Jewry and a pivotal figure in academic Jewish studies and East European history in the UK and beyond. At the end of his career and life, Professor Klier was the Sidney and Elizabeth Corob Professor of Modern Jewish History at University College London
. He was an indefatigable historian who challenged scholarly opinion on the Jewish community under the Tsars
, and his family lived briefly in Washington before settling in Syracuse, New York
. His father taught aeronautical engineering at Syracuse University. Brought up as a Catholic
, John attended Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana
, a favoured choice among the brightest American Catholic youth,for his BA and MA in history. He pursued doctoral study at the University of Illinois — long a powerhouse in Russian and Soviet history — where his interest in Russian Jewry was stimulated. He was intrigued, in his investigations of pre-revolutionary Russia, that little research had been conducted on Russian Jewry for most of the 20th century. His PhD dissertation examined the process by which Tsarist Russia, after the partitions of Poland
in the late 18th century, fitfully absorbed Jews into the Russian state system. This work was sharpened and expanded into his first book, Russia Gathers Her Jews: The Origins of the Jewish Question in Russia (1986), now considered a seminal text in modern Jewish history.
, Moscow
, St Petersburg and Minsk
. In 1993 he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in the United States to prepare surveys of Jewish materials in post-Soviet archives. Scores, if not hundreds, of researchers of East European Jewry have benefited from his insight and guidance. His second major monograph, 'Imperial Russia's Jewish Question, 1855–1881', appeared in 1995.
.
Gentle by temperament, John had the firmness to hold together the Jewish studies department at UCL and was also a regular organiser of trips of Russianists from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
to the theatre and opera. If invited to a party, he would typically volunteer to bring along "Tex-Mex" dishes of his own spicy invention. He was also a skilled and competitive fencer
and the UCLU club photo from 2005 now sits in his Memorial Library in the Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department.
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was an indefatigable historian who challenged scholarly opinion on the Jewish community under the Tsars
Early life and university
John Doyle Klier was born in 1944 in Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaBellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and his family lived briefly in Washington before settling in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. His father taught aeronautical engineering at Syracuse University. Brought up as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, John attended Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, a favoured choice among the brightest American Catholic youth,for his BA and MA in history. He pursued doctoral study at the University of Illinois — long a powerhouse in Russian and Soviet history — where his interest in Russian Jewry was stimulated. He was intrigued, in his investigations of pre-revolutionary Russia, that little research had been conducted on Russian Jewry for most of the 20th century. His PhD dissertation examined the process by which Tsarist Russia, after the partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
in the late 18th century, fitfully absorbed Jews into the Russian state system. This work was sharpened and expanded into his first book, Russia Gathers Her Jews: The Origins of the Jewish Question in Russia (1986), now considered a seminal text in modern Jewish history.
Work in Russia
In 1991, he was one of the first foreign scholars to undertake in-depth research on the Jews in Soviet archives, and mined resources in the coming years in KievKiev
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....
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, St Petersburg and Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. In 1993 he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in the United States to prepare surveys of Jewish materials in post-Soviet archives. Scores, if not hundreds, of researchers of East European Jewry have benefited from his insight and guidance. His second major monograph, 'Imperial Russia's Jewish Question, 1855–1881', appeared in 1995.
Personal life
John was thoroughly devoted to his wife Helen Mingay and their two children, Sophia and Sebastian. He is survived by family members in Upstate New York and the UK. A true renaissance man, John was an expert in many national literatures – which he preferred to read in their original. He also was well-versed in classical music, art, opera and theatre. He was a skilled competitive fencer. He also could carry a spirited, incisive conversation about both English and American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
Gentle by temperament, John had the firmness to hold together the Jewish studies department at UCL and was also a regular organiser of trips of Russianists from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies is a school of University College London . It is the largest centre for the study and research of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia in the United Kingdom...
to the theatre and opera. If invited to a party, he would typically volunteer to bring along "Tex-Mex" dishes of his own spicy invention. He was also a skilled and competitive fencer
Fencer
Fencer may refer to:* Fencer, a person who participates in the sport of fencing* Fencer, a person who makes fences* Fencer, the device which energizes an electric fence* Fencer, the NATO reporting name of the Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jetSee also:...
and the UCLU club photo from 2005 now sits in his Memorial Library in the Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department.