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Zaidman Papers University of Sheffield Library. Special Collections and Archives Ref: MS 118 Title: Zaidman Papers Scope: Printed and manuscript documents assembled by Lazar Zaidman relating to the Anti-Fascist movement in London and to the Communist Party of Great Britain during the period 1930s to 1950s, and to Jewish affairs during this period, including the origins of the state of Israel. Dates: 1911 - 1961 (mainly 1930s to 1950s) Level: Fonds Extent: 49 files plus 249 pamphlets Name of creator: Lazar Zaidman Administrative / biographical history: The collection consists of printed ephemera and manuscript documents relating to the Anti-Fascist movement in London and to the Communist Party of Great Britain during the period 1930s to 1950s. There is also material on Jewish affairs during this period, including the origins of the state of Israel. A collection of pamphlets is included. Lazar Zaidman (1903-1963) was a leading London Communist during the period of the 1930s to the 1950s. He was born in Jubilee Street in the East End to a Jewish family in 1903, but returned with his family to Rumania in 1912 because of his mother’s health. As this did not improve, the family were due to return to England in 1914 but were prevented from doing so by the outbreak of World War One. In Rumania he became involved in trade unionism and therefore politics at a time when even mild liberalism was an offence, and spent 3 years in prison where he was tortured and beaten, losing the hearing in his left ear and the sight in his left eye as a result. In 1925, after the death of his mother, Zaidman returned to England, along with his eldest sister. In 1928, he married Ray and settled in Hackney where he set up a valet shop (many of his speeches were written on the back of handbills for this shop because Zaidman strongly disliked waste). He was a presser by trade but was blacklisted by the garment factory employers, and was thus forced to run his own business. In the 1930s he was active with other Jewish Communists, and the Zaidmans’ house in Hackney was used regularly for discussions and political meetings. A political Jewish Study Group was based at the house consisting of Zaidman, Alf Holland, Chimen Abramsky, Izzie Pushkin, and Julie Jacobs. All were Communists active in the Jewish People’s Council Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism - a group that coordinated anti-fascism in the East End during the 1930s. From the 1920s, Zaidman was active in the Workers’ Circle Friendly Society, and also sat on the Central Committee of the Workers’ Circle for the Glasgow branch. He also represented the Workers’ Circle on the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and was a prominent member of the National Jewish Committee of the Communist Party. Although never a ‘national’ figure in the C.P.G.B. he was well-known and was close to more prominent individuals such as R. Palme-Dutt, Hyman Levy, George Rude, and Ivor Montagu. He died in 1963, and his funeral was attended by the leading Communist figures in Britain, an indication of the respect in which he was held. Related collections: East End Newspaper Reports; Krebs Papers; Zaidman Collection Source: Donated 1986 System of arrangement: By category Subjects: Communism - Great Britain; Anti-fascism - Great Britain; Jews in Great Britain; Israel - History - 1948-1949 Names: Communist Party of Great Britain; Jewish People’s Council Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism; Workers’ Circle; Zaidman, Lazar, 1903-1963 Conditions of access: Available to all researchers, by appointment Restrictions: None Copyright: University of Sheffield Library Finding aids: Listed MS 118 Zaidman Papers Main sections 118/1 Newspapers (Files 1 – 12) 118/2 Newspaper clippings (Files 13 – 23) [118/3 Books – see Zaidman Collection] 118/4 Pamphlets 118/5 Leaflets (Files 24 – 25) 118/6 Board of Deputies of British Jews material 118/7 World Jewish Congress material 118/8 Workers’ Circle material 118/9 Communist Party related material; Jewish matters 118/10 Additional Newspapers (from Zaidman Collection) 118/11 Addenda 118/1 Newspapers 1. Jewish Clarion: 1 (December 1945) to 24 (November 1947) bound 25 (December 1947) to 88 (January 1955) unbound NS1 (March 1995) and NS6 (March 1956) This set of the Jewish Clarion went missing some time prior to July 1996. It has been replaced by a microfilm set from the British Library Newspaper Library at Colindale, covering the period March 1946 to December 1956 2. Jewish Telegraphic Agency Bulletins: 26 Jul 1945; 65 (17 Mar 1949) to 242 (21 Oct 1949) [incomplete] 3. Weekly News Letter on Jewish Affairs: 1 (4 Oct 1946) to 5 (15 Nov 1946) 4. Civil Liberty: Dec 1943; Sep 1944; Nov 1946; Jul 1947; Dec 1948; Feb-Mar 1950 5. International Press Correspondence / World News and Views: 15 Jan 1938; 22 Jan 1938; 2 Apr 1938; 18 Jun 1938; 13 Aug 1938; 29 Oct 1938; 5 Nov 1938; 12 Nov 1938; 22 Jul 1939; 19 Sep 1942; 3 Jun 1950; 17 Jun 1950; 15 Mar 1952; 15 Nov 1952 6. Soviet Monitor: 15 Jul 1945; 9 Oct 1947 Soviet News: 17 Jul 1945; 18 Jul 1945; 10 Sep 1945; 19 Sep 1946; 8 Oct 1946; 5 Nov 1946; 29 Oct 1947; 1 Nov 1947; 4 Nov 1947; 8 Nov 1947; 17 Aug 1948; 15 Dec 1948 7. Daily Worker: 2 Aug 1946; 19 Sep 1946; 30 Sep 1946; 2 Feb 1949; 26 Feb 1949; 22 Dec 1952 8. Jewish Forum: May-Jun 1945; Mar 1946; miscellaneous proofs 9. Jewish Life: Nov 1955; Dec 1955; Jan 1956; Feb 1956; Mar 1956 10. Miscellaneous non-Jewish papers: Our Time Dec 1946; On Guard Jan-Feb 1948; Daily Herald 7 May 1948; The Word Dec 1943; Droit et Liberté 1 Nov 1948; New Masses 19 Feb 1946; Arab News Bulletin 18 Apr 1947, 2 May 1947; Searchlight on Germany May 1947; Left News Jan 1947; Times Review of the Year 1948 11. Miscellaneous Jewish papers: Jewish Academy Mar 1936, Feb 1945; Jewish Monthly Apr 1947; Polish- Jewish Bulletin (News) Mar 1946 (2), Sep 1946; Icor May 1932; The Jewish Struggle Jan 1946; The Record May 1947; Jewish Echo 27 Feb 1948; Canadian Jewish Weekly 18 Dec 1952, 10 Aug 1961; Ort Chronicle 31 Mar 1949; Jewish Times 27 Nov 1949, 18 Dec 1949; La Presse Nouvelle 21 Sep 1961 12. Jewish Affairs Aug 1941; Sep 1941; Jan 1942 (3 copies); Mar 1942 (2 copies); Jun–Aug 1942. New series Dec 1946; Jul-Sep 1947; Jan 1948 Jewish Comment 14 Apr 1944 118/2 Newspaper clippings 13. 1948-1949 (Jun) Mainly fascism and anti-semitism in Britain; also includes German anti- semitism, “Oliver Twist” protests in Berlin. From Jewish Chronicle, Daily Worker, Daily Herald, Reynolds News, Manchester Guardian and other national papers. All clippings are dated, many without source. Of these the majority are from the Jewish Chronicle or Daily Worker. 14. 1949 (Jul-Dec) Same as 13. In addition, material on police and fascists in London, libel law and anti-Semitism and Manstein Trial, Hamburg, Oct 1949. Clippings, same as above, in addition from North London Observer and New Statesman. 15. 1956-1957 (Jan) Crabb affair; Cold War; spy stories; Otto John affair; political discrimination in universities; civil service. News Chronicle, Daily Worker, Sunday Times, Times and others. 16. 1954 Jews and Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, Soviet Union, Rumania – Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Observer and Middle East Review, Jewish Echo. 17. Palestine/Israel, 1945-1948 International politics and Middle East; internal Palestine issues. Jewish Chronicle, Evening Standard, Daily Worker, etc. 18. Israeli industrial relations, 1961 School strikes, state of economy, etc. Jewish Chronicle, Daily Worker, Jerusalem Post 19. Jewish press clippings, 1953-54 Anti-semitism and Eastern Europe, Communist denials, spy stories. Daily Worker, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Observer and Middle East Review, etc. 20. Miscellaneous press clippings on Communist activities – global, 1948-1961 Pogroms in Poland; Rumania; America; France; Hungary; Britain. Jewish Chronicle, Daily Worker, Jewish Standard, Le Monde. 21. Miscellaneous cuttings, 1938-1957 Communists in Britain; “espionage” and Communists; Prague Trial; anti- Communism in Britain and America; McCarthy, Hiss. Economist, Times, News Chronicle, Daily Herald, Financial Times, miscellaneous foreign papers. [118/3 Books] The books formerly listed in this section of the Zaidman Papers have now been integrated in the Zaidman Collection of books (see separate list available). 118/4 Pamphlets 1. CPGB, European Jewry and the Palestine problem (London, 194?) 2. National Jewish Committee of the Communist Party, The Jewish question (London, 1943?) 2 copies 3. The case of Henryk Erlich and Victor Alter (London, 1943?) 2 copies 4. Jewish Fund for Soviet Russia, Greetings and goodwill messages from Anglo- Jewry to Soviet Jewry (London, 1943). Also includes letters relating to it 5. J.A.C.O.B., With a strong hand (London, 1966) 6. It can happen again (London, 1946) 7. Victor Gollancz, What Buchenwald really means (London, 1945) 8. Labour Research department, Mosley Fascism (London, 1935) 9. Reg Groves, East End crisis! Socialism, the Jews and Fascism (London, 1936?) 10. Richard Jones, The ABC of Jew-baiting (Tiptree, 1943) 11. Woburn Press, The Jews – are they hated? (London, 1939) 12. Cmnd 7530 HMSO, Progress report of the United Nations Mediator on Palestine (London, 1948) 13. Jewish Fund for Soviet Russia, The Grosvenor House meeting, 28 January 1943 (London, 1943) 14. Anglo-Jewish Association, Statement adopted… February 17th 1944 (London, 1944) 15. Jewish Fund for Soviet Russia, Calling all Jews to action (London, 1943) 16. The Arab Office, The secret history of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate (London, 1938?) 17. Jewish Fund for Soviet Russia, The Russian Jews in the war (London, 1943?) 18.
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