Noah Barou (23 November 1889 – 5 September 1955) was a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

trade unionist and political activist. Born in

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...

, in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, Barou joined

Poale Zion Poale Zion (also spelled Poalei Tziyon or Poaley Syjon, meaning "Workers of Zion") was a movement of Marxist–Zionist Jewish workers founded in various cities of Poland, Europe and the Russian Empire in about the turn of the 20th century after ...

in his youth, this being a banned movement at the time. He attended Kyiv University, but was expelled in 1908 for socialist activism. In 1910, he was exiled to northern Russia, but he was soon allowed to continue his studies in Germany, at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

and

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

. He returned to Russia in 1913, when a general amnesty was offered, and there became the general secretary of Poale Zion. During

World War I 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 was prominent in the Jewish War Relief Organisation, and then in 1918, he became one of three general secretaries of the All-Ukrainian Central Council of Trade Unions. Following the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, Barou represented Poale Zion in the

International Congress of National Minorities The International Congress of National Minorities was an organization formed after World War I to lobby for the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and especially Jews living in the nations of Europe and much of Asia, especially in the afterm ...

and the

All-Russian Congress of Soviets The All-Russian Congress of Soviets evolved from 1917 to become the supreme governing body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1918 until 1936, effectively. The 1918 Constitution of the Russian SFSR mandated that Congress sha ...

. At the Second Congress of the latter body, he gave a speech outlining why Poale Zion was leaving the body. He found work with the Central Union of Consumer Cooperatives, who sent him to London to head up its office there. After a few years in London, he was briefly posted to Berlin, but then returned to London, where he became the director of the

Moscow Narodny Bank Limited Moscow Narodny Bank Limited (MNB), London was created as an independent bank in October 1919 on the basis of the London branch or Mosnarbank (London) of the Moscow Narodny Bank, which had operated in London since 1915. History In 1919 due t ...

. Barou joined the Fabian Society, serving on its executive in the 1940s, and writing books on co-operative banking and insurance. He was also a Zionist activist, becoming a founder of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...

in 1936, and chairing its European executive from 1948. He also served on the

Board of Deputies The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...

, founding with

Maurice Orbach Maurice Orbach (13 July 190224 April 1979) was a British Labour Party politician, who served the Willesden East (1945-1959) and Stockport South (1964-1979) constituencies. Background Born to a Jewish family, Orbach was educated at technica ...

its Trades Advisory Council, and was a leading figure in negotiating West Germany's restitution payments to Israel. Barou died in 1955, and the World Jewish Congress' British section instituted an annual lecture in his memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barou, Noah 1889 births 1955 deaths Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv alumni Heidelberg University alumni Leipzig University alumni Members of the Fabian Society Politicians from Poltava British people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Ukrainian emigrants to the United Kingdom Ukrainian trade unionists Expatriates from the Russian Empire in Germany Ukrainian socialists Ukrainian Jews Ukrainian Zionists