Vladimir Medem
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Davidovich Medem, né Grinberg , (1879, Liepāja
, Russian Empire
, – 1923, New York City
), was a Russian Jewish politician and ideologue of the Jewish Labour Bund. The Medem library in Paris
, the largest European Yiddish institution, bears his name.
and developed an interest in the Yiddish-speaking proletariat and their harsh living conditions. He was preoccupied by the fact that the Russian Jews had no nation and no right to strike.
Medem only learned Yiddish at the age of 22; the language was taboo in his family environment. Because of a student strike in 1898, he had to leave the university and joined the Minsk socialists, inspired by Marxist
friends. His great interest in the world of Yiddish-speaking workers and the political anti-semitism
made him the leading ideologue of the Jewish Labour Bund, whose supporters were especially well represented among the immigrants in Paris, and were also called Bundists. Medem emigrated to New York in 1921.
The Jewish Labour Bund, founded in 1897 in the Lithuanian Vilnius
, was committed to the cultural and national rights of Jews in Eastern Europe. In this regard, Medem dared to oppose the view of Russian Marxists, and even of Lenin. These objectives received support in Central and Western Europe, e.g. from Austromarxists, and especially in several Jewish immigrant workers' clubs in Paris, whose members described themselves as Bundists. One such club, which also saw the education of the workers as its main task was given the name Arbeter-klub afn nomen Vladimir Medem (Workers' Club on behalf of Vladimir Medem). His educational policy ambitions culminated in 1929 in the founding of the Medem Library, which at 30,000 volumes is now the largest Yiddish cultural institution in Europe.
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
, 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...
, – 1923, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), was a Russian Jewish politician and ideologue of the Jewish Labour Bund. The Medem library in Paris
Paris
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...
, the largest European Yiddish institution, bears his name.
Life
Son of a Russian medical officer who had converted from Judaism to Christianity, Vladimir Medem was educated in a Minsk gymnasium. He studied later at the Kiev UniversityKiev 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 developed an interest in the Yiddish-speaking proletariat and their harsh living conditions. He was preoccupied by the fact that the Russian Jews had no nation and no right to strike.
Medem only learned Yiddish at the age of 22; the language was taboo in his family environment. Because of a student strike in 1898, he had to leave the university and joined the Minsk socialists, inspired by Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
friends. His great interest in the world of Yiddish-speaking workers and the political 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...
made him the leading ideologue of the Jewish Labour Bund, whose supporters were especially well represented among the immigrants in Paris, and were also called Bundists. Medem emigrated to New York in 1921.
The Jewish Labour Bund, founded in 1897 in the Lithuanian Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, was committed to the cultural and national rights of Jews in Eastern Europe. In this regard, Medem dared to oppose the view of Russian Marxists, and even of Lenin. These objectives received support in Central and Western Europe, e.g. from Austromarxists, and especially in several Jewish immigrant workers' clubs in Paris, whose members described themselves as Bundists. One such club, which also saw the education of the workers as its main task was given the name Arbeter-klub afn nomen Vladimir Medem (Workers' Club on behalf of Vladimir Medem). His educational policy ambitions culminated in 1929 in the founding of the Medem Library, which at 30,000 volumes is now the largest Yiddish cultural institution in Europe.
Main writings
- 1916: The doctrine of the Bund
- 1938 (posthumous): (Hg. Gros, Naftole; Gros, Naftoli). Verlag Kinder-Ring, 87 S., illustrated; reedited by National Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, Mass. (USA) 1999. Collection: "Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
digital Yiddish library" No. 06827
External links
YIVO Encyclopedia of East European JewrySee also
- National personal autonomyNational personal autonomyThe Austromarxist principle of national personal autonomy , developed by Otto Bauer in his 1907 book Die Nationalitätenfrage und die Sozialdemokratie was seen by him a way of gathering the geographically divided members of the same nation, "organize nations not in territorial bodies but in simple...