Marcel Liebman (7 July 1929 – 1 March 1986) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

Marxist historian of political sociology and theory, active at the Université libre de Bruxelles and

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. listof all ...

Life

A historian of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

and of

communism 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 ...

, he published a number of well known essays, notably on the Russian Revolution, Leninism, and the history of the labour movement in Belgium. He was also an early initiator of Israeli–Palestinian dialogue. On 9 July 1943, Marcel's older brother, Henri, was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

and sent to Malines. Several weeks later on 31 July, he was transported to Auschwitz with 1,555 other deportees where he was in all probability sent to the gas chambers upon arrival as he had not yet turned 16 years of age. Henri was born 15 October 1927 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and died in August 1943. Of the 1,556 deportees sent to Auschwitz on 31 July, only 40 returned after the camps were liberated. From 1962 to 1967, he was editor of the weekly journal ''La Gauche'' (''The Left'') and in 1968 founded the journal ''Mai'' (''May'') which existed until 1973. In 1976, he participated in the creation of the Association Belgo-Palestinienne, with and , where he was General-Secretary. His son

Riton Liebman Henri Liebman (born 29 January 1964), known as Riton Liebman, is a Belgian comedian, actor, and director. Career Liebman made his first impression with audiences at age 13, when French director Bertrand Blier discovered him and cast him as Christ ...

is a comedian, author and director. Riton's actual name is Henri, named after Marcel's lost brother. A foundation under the directorship was created at the Université libre de Bruxelles upon Liebman's death in 1986. In December 2005, the foundation was converted into the Marcel Liebman Institute. It aims to contribute to socialist thought and the study of the left as well as a critical reflection on the practices of social movements.

English bibliography

Books

* "Introduction" in Isaac Deutscher, ''Russia After Stalin'' (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969). * ''The Russian Revolution'' (Vintage Books, 1972). * ''Leninism Under Lenin'' (Merlin Press, 1973). * ''Born Jewish: A Childhood in Occupied Europe'' (''

Verso Books Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a left-wing publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of '' New Left Review''. Renaming, new brand and logo Verso Books was originally known as New Left Books. The ...

'', 2005)

Essays

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Articles

"Trotsky assassiné,"
''La Gauche'' (August 1965).

''Monthly Review'' (1970).

External links

at marxists.org
Institut Marcel Liebman

Articles in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebman, Marcel 1929 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Belgian historians Belgian Jews Belgian Marxist historians Jewish historians Jewish socialists Marxist theorists Deutscher Memorial Prize winners