LEON BRANDES

LEON BRANDES (February 27, 1900-March 1982)

Born in Warsaw, he studied in elementary school until age thirteen—later, he graduated high school and studied law at Warsaw University.  From 1933 until the start of WWII, he practiced as a lawyer.  From his youth he was active in the Bundist academic student group “Ringen” (Links); he was later vice-director of Jewish academic organizations in Poland.  He was a teacher, and for a time manager, at a secular Jewish evening school, secretary of the organization “Unzere kinder” (Our children), and legal counsel for the Jewish trade unions in Poland.  He lived in Warsaw until WWII, until 1941 in Vilna, and from there he traveled through Russia and Japan before arriving in the United States in April 1941.  He began writing in Polish, later contributing to Folks-tsaytung (People’s newspaper) in Warsaw, in which he published works concerning social and labor legislation.  He managed and edited its section on “social legislation.”  He wrote a column “Legal Advice” for Ekspres (Express) in Warsaw.  He also contributed to Polish academic periodicals.  He was the author of pamphlets in Polish on labor insurance and support for the unemployed.  He was living in New York.