Melech Epstein

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Melech Epstein (

Yiddish
: מלך עפשטײן, 1889–1979) was an American journalist and historian. His two most famous books, Jewish labor in U.S.A. and The Jew and communism are considered standard works.

Early life

Epstein was born in

Ellis island on December 24, 1913.[2]

In New York, Epstein settled in

Workers Council of the United States. When this group merged with the communists to form the Workers Party of America Epstein was offered a place as labor editor on the communists' new Yiddish daily, Morgen Freiheit.[4]

In the Communist Party

After a factional skirmish Epstein was made acting editor in 1923 and official editor in 1925. As editor he tried to steer the Freiheit into a more broad left direction and resisted pressures to make its content dogmatically communist. A member of the Lovestone faction within the party he resigned the editorship in spring 1929 during intense factional warfare within the party.[5] In August 1929 both Epstein and Moissaye Joseph Olgin, the new Freiheit editor were censured by the party for taking a pro-Yishuv stand in reporting on the out break of violence in Palestine. Under party pressure the paper changed its analysis reporting the revolt as a national liberation movement against the British and their Zionist collaborators. That fall Epstein was relieved of all other party offices and was sent to the Soviet Union to "improve his communist morale".[6]

He returned in 1931. No longer on the staff of Freiheit, he became educational director of the

Zionists and the Yishuv in general.[9] While in Palestine Epstein learned of the out break of the Spanish Civil War. Without waiting for word from the party or Freiheit he sailed to Barcelona and became one of the first American journalists on the scene. He stayed in Spain for three months sending dispatches back to Freiheitfrom the front lines.[10]

Post-communist years

Melech Epstein broke with the party in August, 1939 after the

ILGWU.[13]

In the fall of 1947 he settled in Florida.[14] There he wrote his two major books Jewish labor in U.S.A. and The Jew and communism, independently published through a "Trade Union Sponsoring Committee" which was partly funded by ILGWU.[15]

References

  1. ^ Epstein, Melech Pages from a colorful life Bloch Publishing Company 1971 pp.1-2
  2. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. pp.13-48
  3. ^ a b Epstein Pages op. cit. pp.49, 60-63
  4. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. pp.68-70
  5. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. pp.71-72
  6. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.73
  7. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.102
  8. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.104
  9. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.107-117
  10. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.118-128
  11. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.135-137
  12. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.140-143
  13. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.148-150
  14. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.151
  15. ^ Epstein Pages op. cit. p.165

External links

Works

Yiddish

English

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