Joseph Kruk ( he, יוסף קרוק, December 5, 1885 in Częstochowa – July 6, 1972 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

) was an Israeli journalist and a politician in pre-war Poland. Kruk took part in founding the first

labour Zionist Labor Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת סוֹצְיָאלִיסְטִית, ) or socialist Zionism ( he, תְּנוּעָת הָעַבוֹדָה, label=none, translit=Tnuʽat haʽavoda) refers to the left-wing, socialist variation of Zionism. ...

grouping in his hometown Częstochowa prior to the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

. When the revolution broke out, he was a major leader of the territorialist

Zionist Socialist Workers Party Zionist-Socialist Workers Party (russian: Сионистско-социалистическая рабочая партия), often referred to simply as Zionist-Socialists or S.S. by their Russian initials, was a Jewish territorialist and social ...

in the city.
Czestochowa Poland
' In 1906 he went into exile. Kruk travelled over most parts of Europe He studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a compreh ...

, obtaining a doctoral degree. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he and his wife, Roza Kruk, lived in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.Kadish, Sharman.
Bolsheviks and British Jews: The Anglo-Jewish Community, Britain, and the Russian Revolution
'. London, England: F. Cass, 1992. p. 187 Kruk returned to Poland in 1918 and settled down in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. He became a leader of the ''

Fareynikte United Jewish Socialist Workers Party ( yi, פֿאַראײניקטע ייִדישע סאָציאַליסטישע אַרבעטער־פּאַרטיי, ''fareynikte yidishe sotsialistishe arbeter-partey'') was a political party that emerged in Russia ...

'' party (into which the Zionist-Socialists had merged). In 1922 Kruk and the ''Fareynikte'' merged into the

Independent Socialist Labour Party The Independent Socialist Labour Party ( pl, Niezależna Socjalistyczna Partia Pracy) was a political party in Poland. The party was founded on March 12, 1922, in Krakow. Initially the party bore the name Party of Independent Socialists (''Partia N ...

.
UNITED JEWISH SOCIALIST WORKERS' PARTY
' By 1927 the Independent Socialist Labour Party was in crisis. The question on cooperation with the

communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

divided the party. The party was split in two, one group led by

Bolesław Drobner Bolesław Drobner (born 28 June 1883 in Kraków, died 31 March 1968 in Kraków) was a Polish politician. A member of the Polish Socialist Party, he supported cooperation with the communists. Arrested by the NKVD after the Soviet invasion of Poland ...

and another led by Kruk. Drobner's group merged into the

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' ...

in 1928, whilst Kruk's group continued operate as the Independent Socialist Labour Party.Kowalski, Werner.
Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19
'. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. pp. 317-318 After the split, Kruk took over Drobner's seat as one of the Polish representatives in the executive of the Labour and Socialist International. Kruk was a member of the executive between June 1928 and October 1930, sharing the seat with the Yugoslav socialist leader Živko Topalović (like Drobner had done as well). In 1937 Kruk and his

-based group merged into the Poalei Zion Right. However, even after having joined the Zionist mainstream Kruk retained links with the territorialist Freyland League. He wrote for the Yiddish newspaper

Haynt ''Haynt'' (הײַנט - "Today"; Yidishes tageblat 1906-08) was a Yiddish daily newspaper, published in Warsaw from 1906 until 1939. Newspaper ''Yidishes tageblat'' (יידישעס טאגעבלאט) was founded in 1906 by Zionist Samuel Jackan ...

. In 1939 Kruk migrated to Palestine. In Israel he wrote for the newspapers

Davar ''Davar'' ( he, דבר, lit. ''Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. It was relaunched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an online outlet by th ...

and Letse Nayes ("Last News"). He died in 1972 and is buried at

Har HaMenuchot Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi pronunciation, Har HaMenuchos, lit. "Mount of Those who are Resting", also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kruk, Joseph 1885 births 1972 deaths Jewish Polish politicians Jewish socialists People from Częstochowa Members of the Executive of the Labour and Socialist International Independent Socialist Labour Party politicians Polish Socialist Party politicians United Jewish Socialist Workers Party politicians Zionist Socialist Workers Party politicians University of Bern alumni Jewish journalists Israeli journalists Territorialism Polish Zionists Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Burials at Har HaMenuchot 20th-century Polish journalists