TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Arrangement Note
Conditions of Access and Use
Administrative Information
Search Terms
Box and Folder Listing
Series A: Correspondence 1919-1988
Series B: Diary 1915
Series C: Poetry
Series D: Articles and Addresses 1925-1989
Series E: Translations
Series F: Class lecture Notes and Syllabi
Series G: B'nai B'rith Hillel Displaced Person Scholarships 1934-1982
Series H: Miscellaneous 1919-1986
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Manuscript Collection No. 615
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| Repository: |
The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish
Archives
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| Creator: |
Syrkin, Marie,
1899-1989.
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| Title: |
Marie Syrkin Papers. |
| Dates: |
1915-1989 |
| Quantity: |
4.0 linear feet (10 Hollinger boxes) |
| Abstract: |
The Marie Syrkin Papers (1915-1989) consist of correspondence
and Syrkin's literary efforts including poetry, a diary, translations, and journal
articles.
Additional materials include lecture notes and class syllabi from her teaching at
Brandeis
University, and materials relating to her work with displaced persons in German refugee
camps immediately following World War II.
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| Collection Number: |
MS-615 |
| Language: |
Collection material in English and Hebrew. |
 Marie Syrkin was born in Berne, Switzerland, March 22, 1899, the daughter of Labor
Zionist
leader, Nachman Syrkin. She was brought to the U.S at the age of eight and lived in
New York
City.
While attending Cornell University she met and married Aaron Bodomsky. She had two
sons,
the oldest died in 1924 after she was separated from Bodomsky and living in New York
City
teaching high school English. Syrkin taught in the public schools of New York City
for 25
years and wrote her first book, Your School, Your Children (1944), from her experiences there.
In 1930, she married the poet Charles Reznikoff, and in 1934, she helped found and
became a
major contributor to the Labor Zionist journal, Jewish Frontier. As a journalist, Syrkin edited the Jewish Frontier from 1948-1971, was editor of Herzl Press, and served on the editorial boards of
Midstream and Middle East Review. She became well known as a polemicist and advocate for the Zionist cause and
Israel. Following World War II, Syrkin went to Germany as a representative of B'nai
B'rith
Hillel Foundations to find suitable applicants for Hillel scholarships to American
universities among survivors of the Holocaust. She traveled to displaced person camps
and
interviewed numerous survivors. Her book, Blessed Is the Match: The Story of Jewish
Resistance (1957), grew out of these experiences and is believed to be the first work in
English about Jewish resistance under the Nazis.
Syrkin accepted a position on the faculty of Brandeis University in 1950, teaching
humanities and literature, a post she held until she retired in 1966 to become Professor
Emeritus. In the 1960's, she served on the World Zionist Executive as the American
representative for the Labor Party, and as honorary president of the Labor Zionist
movement
in the United States. Syrkin was a lifelong friend and confidante of Israel's Prime
Minister, Golda Meir, and published her biography, Golda Meir: Israel's Leader in 1969.
Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, Syrkin continued to publish articles and book reviews
on
various political and cultural subjects. She was also in demand as a public speaker.
After
the death of Reznikoff in 1976, she moved from New York City to Santa Monica, California.
In
1979, she published a volume of her poetry, Gleanings: A Diary in Verse, and in 1980, a book about Israel, The State of the Jews. Marie Syrkin died on February 1, 1989 at the age of eighty-nine.
The Marie Syrkin Papers (1915-1989) consist of correspondence and Syrkin's literary
efforts
including poetry, a diary, translations, and journal articles. Additional materials
include
lecture notes and class syllabi from her teaching at Brandeis University, and materials
relating to her work with displaced persons in German refugee camps immediately following
World. War II.
This collection is arranged in eight (8) series:
Terms of Access
The collection is open for use; no restrictions apply.
Terms of Reproduction and Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce, with exceptions for fair use,
may be obtained through the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please address
queries to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information,
see
the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Marie Syrkin Papers and
the
American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-615. Marie Syrkin Papers. American Jewish
Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Marie Syrkin Papers were received from David Brodansky, Seattle, Washington, in
1993.
Processed by Dorothy Smith, February, 1997.
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| Series A: Correspondence 1919-1988 |
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Series A. consists mostly of personal correspondence with friends and family. There
are
letters between Marie and her father, Nachman Syrkin (1919-1924) and letters between
Marie and a close girlhood friend, Eugenia Shafran (1917-1926) which give insight
into
Marie's life and concerns as an adolescent and young woman. Another significant group
of
letters is from Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff, written while she took temporary residence
in Reno, Nevada, awaiting a divorce from her first husband. Syrkin and Reznikoff
exchanged letters almost daily for a four month period, February through May, 1930.
Reznikoff's letters to Marie are not part of this collection, but were given by Syrkin's
heirs to the University of San Diego where they are part of the Charles Reznikoff
Papers. Other correspondence in this series includes letters from Golda Meir's assistant
and Meir herself concerning Syrkin's biography of Meir, and two short letters from
David
Ben-Gurion.
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Correspondence is arranged by correspondent, then chronologically within each file
folder. Span dates for the series are 1917-1988.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 1 |
1 |
Nachman Syrkin to Marie Syrkin 1919-1924 |
| 1 |
2 |
Nachman Syrkin to Marie Syrkin undated |
| 1 |
3 |
Nachman Syrkin to Marie Syrkin (postcards) 1919-1921 |
| 1 |
4 |
Marie Syrkin to Nachman Syrkin 1919-1920 |
| 1 |
5 |
Marie Syrkin to Eugenia Shafran 1917-1918 |
| 1 |
6 |
Marie Syrkin to Eugenia Shafran 1919-1926 |
| 1 |
7 |
Marie Syrkin to Eugenia Shafran undated circa 1917-1920 |
| 1 |
8 |
Marie Syrkin to Eugenia Shafran undated circa 1917-1920 |
| 1 |
9 |
Eugenia Shafran to Marie Syrkin 1919-1920 |
| 1 |
10 |
Samuel Roth to Marie Syrkin 1916-1917 |
| 1 |
11 |
Marie Syrkin to Maurice Samuel 1917 |
| 1 |
12 |
Maurice Samuel to Marie Syrkin 1917-1961 |
| 1 |
13 |
Laura Reding (Reichenthal) to Marie Syrkin 1923-1924 |
| 1 |
14 |
Misc. Correspondence 1915-1924 |
| 1 |
15 |
Marie Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff 1928-1929 |
| 1 |
16 |
Marie Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff Feb-Mar 1930 |
| 1 |
17 |
Marie Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff April-May 1930 |
| 1 |
18 |
Marie Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff 1933 |
| 1 |
19 |
Marie Syrkin to Charles Reznikoff 1936 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 2 |
1 |
Correspondence from Israel 1949-1983 |
| 2 |
2 |
Hayon Greenburg to Marie Syrkin 1937 |
| 2 |
3 |
David Ben-Gurion to Marie Syrkin 1962-1967 |
| 2 |
4 |
Golda Meir to Marie Syrkin 1966-1967 |
| 2 |
5 |
Irving Howe to Marie Syrkin 1976-1985 |
| 2 |
6 |
Asenath Petrie to Marie Syrkin 1980-1989 |
| 2 |
7 |
Misc. correspondence 1936-1987 |
| 2 |
8 |
Misc. correspondence 1987-1988 |
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| Series B: Diary 1915 |
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Series B. is a handwritten journal kept by Syrkin from March to May, 1915 when she
was
16. In it she relates her feelings and emotions about her future, her work, school,
and
relationships.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 2 |
9 |
Marie Syrkin's diary 1915 |
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| Series C: Poetry |
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Series C. consists of manuscript, typescript, and copies of published poems written
by
Syrkin. The poems span her life from early adolescence to old age, but most are undated.
Also included in this series is a file of correspondence and reviews pertaining to
her
book, Gleanings: A Diary in Verse, published in 1979, and copies of poems by friends, Samuel Roth and Asenath
Petrie.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 2 |
10 |
Poetry - Ithaca undated |
| 2 |
11 |
Early poetry - mostly adolescent (not for publication) undated |
| 2 |
12 |
Light/satirical verse undated |
| 2 |
13 |
Poems - juvenile undated |
| 2 |
14 |
Poems - love and personal undated |
| 2 |
15 |
In Memoriam and other poems undated |
| 2 |
16 |
Gleanings: A Diary in Verse (typescript) undated
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| 2 |
17 |
Poems after publication of Gleanings undated
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| Box |
Folder |
| 3 |
1 |
Bound volumes of manuscript verse 1979 |
| 3 |
2 |
Poems - typescript undated |
| 3 |
3 |
Poems - revised undated |
| 3 |
4 |
Poems to be revised undated |
| 3 |
5 |
Verse - unfinished and unpublished undated |
| 3 |
6 |
Misc. Poems in German (author unknown) undated |
| 3 |
7 |
Poems by Samuel Roth undated |
| 3 |
8 |
Poems by Asenath Petrie undated |
| 3 |
9 |
Reviews and correspondence re: Gleanings: A Diary In Verse 1979-1980
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| 3 |
10 |
Marie Syrkin's copy of The Waste Land and Other Poems by T. S. Eliot with notes in the margins undated
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| Series D: Articles and Addresses 1925-1989 |
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Series D. is the largest series and consists of Syrkin's writings and lectures. The
series reflects her interests in politics, culture, and literature, and her position
as
an advocate and interpreter of Zionism and Israel in the United States. There are
copies
of published articles, arranged chronologically from 1925-1988, and undated typescript
articles and addresses, mostly from the 1960's through the 1980's. There is a separate
file with Syrkin's articles published in the Jewish Frontier (1937-1983) arranged chronologically. Additional materials in this series
include Syrkin's letters to the editor of various publications, lectures and resources
re: Zionism, typescript copies of book reviews, and a special issue of Jewish Frontier dedicated to Syrkin in 1983. Span dates for the entire series are 1925-1989,
however, the bulk of material is dated from 1960-1988.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 4 |
1 |
Published articles by Syrkin 1925-1969 |
| 4 |
2 |
Published articles by Syrkin 1970-1979 |
| 4 |
3 |
Published articles by Syrkin 1980-1988 |
| 4 |
4 |
Published articles by Syrkin undated |
| 4 |
5 |
Articles in Jewish Frontier by Syrkin 1937-1983
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| 4 |
6 |
Articles and response re: feminism 1985 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 5 |
1 |
Typescript articles and addresses 1960's-1980's |
| 5 |
2 |
Typescript articles and addresses 1960's-1980's |
| 5 |
3 |
Typescript articles and addresses 1960's-1980's |
| 5 |
4 |
Typescript articles - current and recent 1988-1989 |
| 5 |
5 |
Typescript book reviews 1960's-1980's |
| Box |
Folder |
| 6 |
1 |
Lectures and articles re: Zionism undated |
| 6 |
2 |
Lectures and articles re: Zionism undated |
| 6 |
3 |
Zionism - resources undated |
| 6 |
4 |
Editing of Golda Meir's speeches 1966-1971 |
| 6 |
5 |
Biblio Press 1988 |
| 6 |
6 |
Letters to the editor 1966-1983 |
| 6 |
7 |
Golda Meir play 1976-1977 |
| 6 |
8 |
Issue of Jewish Frontier 1942
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| 6 |
9 |
Tribute to Syrkin issue of Jewish Frontier 1983
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| Series E: Translations |
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Series E. Translations consists of three undated files of Syrkin's translations of
Russian, German, and Yiddish poetry into English.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 6 |
10 |
Verse undated |
| 6 |
11 |
Ghetto poetry undated |
| 6 |
12 |
Russian Poet, Aliger undated |
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| Series F: Class lecture Notes and Syllabi |
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Series F. Class Lecture Notes and Syllabi comes from Syrkin's tenure on the faculty
of
Brandeis University teaching humanities and literature from 1950-1966.
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The files are arranged alphabetically by author and/or course title and consist of
outlines of lectures, listings of resource materials, copies of exams and course
syllabi.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 7 |
1 |
American Jewish literature undated |
| 7 |
2 |
American Jewish novel undated |
| 7 |
3 |
Cervantes undated |
| 7 |
4 |
Chaucer undated |
| 7 |
5 |
Dante undated |
| 7 |
6 |
Dickens undated |
| 7 |
7 |
English 1 undated |
| 7 |
8 |
English 10 undated |
| 7 |
9 |
Dreiser undated |
| 7 |
10 |
undated |
| 7 |
11 |
Dostoyevsky undated |
| 7 |
12 |
Faulkner undated |
| 7 |
13 |
Faust undated |
| 7 |
14 |
Hebrew Literature undated |
| 7 |
15 |
Hemingway undated |
| 7 |
16 |
Heroic Age - Greece undated |
| 7 |
17 |
Homer undated |
| 7 |
18 |
Humanities 1 undated |
| Box |
Folder |
| 8 |
1 |
Jesus undated |
| 8 |
2 |
Jewish image in American literature undated |
| 8 |
3 |
Jewish literature undated |
| 8 |
4 |
Jews of Malta/Merchant of Venice undated |
| 8 |
5 |
Misc. literature notes undated |
| 8 |
6 |
Odyssey undated |
| 8 |
7 |
Poetry undated |
| 8 |
8 |
Plato undated |
| 8 |
9 |
Romantics undated |
| 8 |
10 |
Salinger/Bellow/Malamud undated |
| 8 |
11 |
Shakespeare undated |
| 8 |
12 |
Swift undated |
| 8 |
13 |
Tolstoy undated |
| 8 |
14 |
20th century American literature undated |
| 8 |
15 |
20th century literature undated |
| 8 |
16 |
Wharton undated |
| 8 |
17 |
Victorians undated |
| 8 |
18 |
Voltaire/Rousseau undated |
| 8 |
19 |
Wolfe/DosPassos/Steinbeck undated |
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| Series G: B'nai B'rith Hillel Displaced Person Scholarships 1934-1982 |
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Series G. contains materials related to Syrkin's work in German refugee camps following
World War II seeking out recipients for Hillel scholarships in American universities.
Included is background information, correspondence, applications, notes, writings
by
displaced person, and a collection of miscellaneous documents and notes pertaining
to
the Holocaust. Span dates for this series are 1946-1982, with the bulk of material
from
1946-1947.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 9 |
1 |
Hillel DP camp scholarships: background 1965-1982 |
| 9 |
2 |
Hillel Foundation 1945-1947 |
| 9 |
3 |
Rabbi Phillip S. Bernstein (correspondence) 1946 |
| 9 |
4 |
Hillel students 1946-1947 |
| 9 |
5 |
Hillel students 1947 |
| 9 |
6 |
Writings of displaced persons (German / Hebrew) 1946-1947 |
| 9 |
7 |
Syrkin's notes on DP camps and students 1946-1947 |
| 9 |
8 |
Children: conditions and rehabilitation 1946-1947 |
| 9 |
9 |
Zibbutz (Zionist Youth) 1946 |
| 9 |
10 |
Holocaust: documents and notes 1934-1961 |
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| Series H: Miscellaneous 1919-1986 |
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Series H. includes a Secretary's book of the Zionist Society of Cornell University
(1919), a file of resource materials on conservative Jewish women, a brochure from
the
Brooklyn Jewish Center Institute of Jewish Studies for Adults, and materials relating
to
the Peace Now petition signed by Syrkin, and her Golda Meir Award in 1986. Span dates
for the series are 1919-1986, with the bulk of items dated after 1965.
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| Box |
Folder |
| 10 |
1 |
Secretary's book of Zionist Society of Cornell University 1919 |
| 10 |
2 |
Trancred (notes and articles) undated |
| 10 |
3 |
Conservative Jewish Women 1970 |
| 10 |
4 |
Conservative Jewish Women 1965-1971 |
| 10 |
5 |
Brooklyn Jewish Center Institute of Jewish Studies for Adults 1940-1941 |
| 10 |
6 |
Peace Now petition 1980 |
| 10 |
7 |
Golda Meir Award 1980 |
| 10 |
8 |
Odds and ends of interest (notes and quotations) undated |
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the
AJA's online catalog.
Persons and Families
Ben-Gurion, David -- 1886-1973
Frankfurter, Felix -- 1882-1965
Ginsberg, Allen -- 1926-1997
Meir, Golda Mabovitch, -- 1898-1978
Reznikoff, Charles -- 1894-1976
Syrkin, Marie -- 1899-1989
Syrkin, Nachman -- 1868-1924
Subjects
Displaced persons camps
Holocaust survivors
Jewish educators
Jewish journalists
Jewish women
Poets, American
Zionism
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