Collection Summary
Scope and content
Content
Correspondence by Abramovič (Абрамович), partly in Yiddish, with Friedrich Adler 1929-1931,
1933-1936, Alexander Berkman 1933-1934, Fedor Dan (Федор Дан) 1933-1936, Karl Kautsky
1934-1935, Otto Leichter 1934, Emile Vandervelde 1934 and others; conference papers
of and notes on meetings of the Bureau and of the Executive of the LSI 1929-1939;
documents of the LSI/SAI Colonial Commission 1926-1928 and Minorities Commission 1928-1929;
file relating to the attitude of the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party (Украинская
социал-демократическая партия) and of the LSI/SAI towards the pogroms in the Ukraine
from 1918 to 1920, 1926-1928; file relating to the Section Française de l'Internationale
Ouvrière 1933-1939; file relating to Unser Gedank c. 1931; manuscripts of articles;
notes; personal documents; press clippings from the Jewish Daily Forward 1926-1932;
miscellanea.
Papers of Abramovič' son Mark Rein (Марк Рейн) (1909-1937): correspondence 1931-1936,
Der rote Winkel. Gruppenzeitung der SAJ Berlin Westen II 1927-1929, and personal documents.
Papers of Wulf Drabkin: correspondence and personal documents 1904-1916.
Record creators history
Biographical Note
Abramovič Rafail A. (Абрамович Рафаил Абрамович) Pseudonym of Rafail Abramovic Rein
(Рейн Рафаил Абрамович); born in Dvinsk, Russia 1880, died in New York 1963; had to
leave Russia in 1902 because of his activities for the 'Bund' (Бунд); returned in
1904; one of the leaders of the Menshevik faction of theRossijskaja Social-Demokratičeskaja
Rabočaja Partija (RSDRP) (Меньшевистская фракция Российской социал-демократической
рабочей партии (РСДРП)); arrested in 1911 and exiled, later escaped abroad; returned
to Russia in 1917; arrested in 1918 and narrowly escaped the death sentence through
the intervention of Friedrich Adler and others; left Russia for Berlin in 1920; member
of the Menshevik Delegation Abroad (Заграничная делегация меньшевиков); edited Socialističeskij
Vestnik (Социалистический вестник) with Julij Martov (Юлий Мартов); delegate of the
Menshevik party to the Labour and Socialist International (LSI/SAI) until 1940; emigrated
to the USA; one of the organizers of the Union for the Struggle for the Liberation
of the Peoples of Russia (Союз борьбы за освобождение народов России) in 1949.
Abramovič's son Mark Rein (Марк Рейн) was born in Vilna, Lithuania, in 1909. He was
active in the RSDRP Youth League and the Sozialistische Arbeiter Jugend (SAJ). He
became a member of the group Neu Beginnen. In 1937 he was kidnapped and murdered in
Barcelona, apparently by Spanish agents of the Soviet secret police.
Archival history
Custodial History
In 1933 Abramovič (Абрамович) had to leave library and archive in Berlin, fleeing
from Hitler . 11 March 1935 Mark Rein (Марк Рейн) wrote to the IISH on behalf of his
father to thank Professor Posthumus for his efforts to rescue his father's papers.
In 1936 the IISH sent to Abramovič a list of books and periodicals received (IISH
archive).
It seems to be quite haphazardly which papers of Abramovič (Абрамович) have been preserved.
Folder 1 of his correspondence, e.g., contains letters from the first quarter of 1930
only, and just a few letters from the end of 1929. And virtually no correspondence
of 1932 has been preserved. Part of the papers are in Yiddish, which made it too complicated
to arrange all correspondence alphabetically.
Processing information
Processing Information
List made by Hermien van Veen in 1995, 1998
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Restrictions on
Use
For reasons of protection of the original documents, only the scans are available
for use.
Existence and location of copies
Alternate Form of Material
14 security microfilms.
Complete papers digitized from the microfilms in 2016.
Preferred citation
Preferred Citation
R. Abramovič Papers , inventory number ..., International Institute of Social History,
Amsterdam
Extent
1.52 m. meter
Other descriptive information
INTRODUCTION
The true name of Rafail A. Abramovič was Rafail Abramovič Rein . He was born in Dvinsk,
Latvia, Russia, in 1880.
In 1902 he had to leave Russia because of his activities for the 'Bund', but returned
in 1904. In 1906 he became a member of the Central Committee (CC) of the Rossijskaja
Social-Demokratičeskaja Rabočaja Partija (RSDRP) , at first as a representative of
the 'Bund'. In 1911 he was arrested but escaped and fled abroad. He returned to Russia
in 1917. In July 1918 he was arrested and narrowly escaped the death sentence through
the intervention of prominent Bolsheviks and Friedrich Adler . He left Russia for
Berlin in 1920 and was a member of the RSDRP Delegation Abroad. With Julij Martov
he founded and edited the Socialističeskij Vestnik . Until 1940 he was delegate of
the RSDRP to the Labour and Socialist International (LSI/SAI) , serving for many years
on its executive committee. In 1940 he emigrated to the USA. He died in New York in
1963.
Abramovič's son Mark Rein was born in Vilna, Lithuania, in 1909. He was active in
the RSDRP Youth League and the Sozialistische Arbeiter Jugend (SAJ). He became a member
of the group Neu Beginnen. In 1937 he was kidnapped and murdered in Barcelona, apparently
by Spanish agents of the Soviet secret police.
The archive
In 1933 Abramovič had to leave library and archive in Berlin, fleeing from Hitler
. 11 March 1935 Mark Rein wrote to the IISH on behalf of his father to thank Professor
Posthumus for his efforts to rescue his father's papers. In 1936 the IISH sent to
Abramovič a list of books and periodicals received (IISH archive).
It seems to be quite haphazardly which papers of Abramovič have been preserved. Folder
1 of his correspondence, e.g., contains letters from the first quarter of 1930 only,
and just a few letters from the end of 1929. And virtually no correspondence of 1932
has been preserved. Part of the papers are in Yiddish, which made it too complicated
to arrange all correspondence alphabetically. Correspondents include Friedrich Adler,
J.W. Albarda, Alexander Berkman, G.O. Binštok, F.I. Dan, A.A. Jugov, Karl Kautsky,
O. Leichter, Emile Vandervelde, and many others.
Apart from papers from Mark Rein the collection also contains some documents from
the Bundist Wulf Drabkin .
In 1998 a security microfilm of the archive was completed. A list of these films
has been added in an annex to this list.
The archive measures 1.4 metres.
ANNEX
List of the security microfilms of the papers of Rafail A. Abramovič (1880-1963)
Filmno.
Listno.
- 1. 1 and a part of 2.
- 2. 2 (last part) and 3.
- 3. 4-5.
- 4. 6-7 and a part of 8.
- 5. 8 (last part), 9-10.
- 6. 11-17 and a part of 18.
- 7. 18 (last part), 19-30 and a part of 31.
- 8. 31 (last part), 32-35 and a part of 36.
- 9. 36 (last part), 37-38 and a part of 39.
- 10. 39 (last part), 40-43 and a part of 44.
- 11. 44 (last part), 45-48 and a part of 50.
- 12. 50 (last part; nos. II-V).
- 13. 51-57.
- 14. 58-62.
Keywords
Subjects
Subjects:
Socialist and social democrat parties/Socialist International
Religious movements/Anti-clericalism/Atheism
Geographic names:
USSR (former)
Personal names: Adler, Friedrich Berkman, Alexander Kautsky, Karl Dan, Fedor
Corporate names: Labour and Socialist International Ukrainian Social Democratic Party Algemeyner Yidisher Arbeyter Bund
Genre of the material:
Archival material
Personal names:Abramovič Rafail A. Julij Martov
Corporate names: Rossijskaja Social-Demokratičeskaja Rabočaja Partija (RSDRP)
Personal names:Mark Rein
Personal names:Friedrich Adler Alexander Berkman Fedor Dan
Personal names:Rafail A. Abramovič Rafail Abramovič Rein
Personal names:Friedrich Adler Julij Martov
Corporate names: Rossijskaja Social-Demokratičeskaja Rabočaja Partija (RSDRP) Socialističeskij Vestnik Labour and Socialist International (LSI/SAI)
Personal names:Mark Rein
Corporate names: Sozialistische Arbeiter Jugend (SAJ) Neu Beginnen
Personal names:Hitler Mark Rein Posthumus
Corporate names: IISH
Personal names:Friedrich Adler J.W. Albarda Alexander Berkman G.O. Binštok F.I. Dan A.A. Jugov Karl Kautsky O. Leichter Emile Vandervelde
Personal names:Mark Rein Wulf Drabkin
Personal names:Rafail A. Abramovič
Language of the material
Russian
Record creator
Content provider
International Institute of Social History
( Cruquiusweg 31 , 1019 AT Amsterdam , The Netherlands )