Rafael Lemkin (June 24, 1900—August 28, 1959) was a lawyer of Polish-Jewish descent. Before World War II, Lemkin was interested in the Armenian Genocide and campaigned in the League of Nations to ban what he called "barbarity" and "vandalism". He is best known for his work against genocide, a word he coined in 1944 from the root words genos (Greek for family, tribe or race) and -cide (Latin for killing). He used the word first in print in Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation - Analysis of Government - Proposals for Redress. June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A lawyer is a person licensed by the state to advise clients in legal matters and represent them in courts of law and in other forms of dispute resolution. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the... The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refer to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in Ottoman... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... Genocide is defined by the JERRFGGHH and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]] (CPPCG) article 2 as any of the following acts part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Early Life and Education

Rafael Lemkin, father of the term genocide

Lemkin was born Rafał Lemkin in the village of Bezwodne in Imperial Russia, now the Vilkaviškis district of Lithuania). Not much is know of Lemkin's early life. He grew up in a Polish-Jewish family and was one of three children born to Joseph and Bella (Pomerantz) Lemkin. His father was a farmer and his mother a highly intellectual woman who was a painter, linguist, and philosophy student with a large collection of books in literature and history. With his mother as an influence, Lemkin mastered nine languages by the age of 14, including French, Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian. Image File history File links RLemkin1951-140. ... Image File history File links RLemkin1951-140. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start of... Location Ethnographic region Sudovia County MarijampolÄ— County General information Capital VilkaviÅ¡kis Major settlements VilkaviÅ¡kis (pop. ...

After graduating from a local trade school in Białystok he began the study of linguistics at the John Casimir Universit in Lwów (Lviv, Poland). It was here Lemkin became interested in the case of Soghomon Tehlirian, an Armenian who assassinated former Turkish Minister of the Interior Talaat Pasha in Berlin,Germany on March 15, 1921 as an act of vengeance for his role in orchestrating the Armenian Genocide. Lemkin thought it inconsistent to for it to be a crime to kill a man but not a crime to orchestrate the destruction of an entire people. Lemkin then moved on to the University of Heidelberg in Germany to study philosophy, and returned to Lwow to law in 1926, becoming a prosecutor in Warsaw at graduation. Motto: none Voivodship Podlasie Municipal government Rada miejska BiaÅ‚egostoku Mayor Ryszard Tur Area 94 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 295 000 (01. ... The building of the University. ... Motto: Semper fidelis Oblast Lviv Oblast Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 808,900 ? 4786/km² Founded City rights 13th century 1353 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Area code +0322 Car plates  ? Twin towns Corning, Freiburg... Soghomon Tehlirian assasinated Talaat Pasha in Berlin on March 15, 1921 as an act of vengeance for his role in orchestrating the Armenian Genocide. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mehmed Talat Pasha. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refer to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in Ottoman... The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (German Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; also known as simply University of Heidelberg) was established in the town of Heidelberg in the Rhineland in 1386. ... Lviv ( Львів in Ukrainian; Львов, Lvov in Russian; Lwów in Polish; Leopolis in Latin; Lemberg in German—see also cities alternative names) is a city in western Ukraine with 830,000 inhabitants (an additional 200,000 commute daily from suburbs). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/km² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52...

Working Life

From 1929-1934, Lemkin was the Public Prosecutor for the district court of Warsaw. In 1930 he was promoted to Deputy Prosecutor in a local court in Brzeżany While Public Prosecutor Lemkin was secretary of the Committee on Codification of the Laws of the Polish Republic which codified the penal codes of Poland and taugh law at Tachkimoni College in Warsaw. Lemkin, working with Duke University law professor Malcolm McDermott, translated the The Polish Penal Code of 1932 from Polish to English. McDermott would later provide Lemkin with help in leaving Europe. Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/km² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Reconstruction of Berezhany fortress Berezhany (Ukrainian: , Polish: ) is a town in southwestern Ukraine. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/km² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52... Duke Chapel Duke University is a private, coeducational, research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Although founded in 1924, Duke traces its roots back to 1838. ...

In 1933 Lemkin presented before the Legal Council of the League of Nations conference on international criminal law in Madrid, for which he prepared an essay on the Crime of Barbarity as a crime against international law. The concept of the crime, which later evolved into the idea of genocide, was based mostly on the experience of Assyrians massacred in Iraq during the early 1930s and on the Armenian Genocide during World War I.^[1] In 1934 Lemkin, under pressure from the Polish Foreign Minister for comments made at the Madrid conference, resigned his position and became a private solicitor in Warsaw. While in Warsaw Lemkin attended numerous lectures organized by the Free Polish University, including the classes of Stanisław Rappaport and Wacław Makowski. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... It has been suggested that Assyrian people be merged into this article or section. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refer to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in Ottoman... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, was a world... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/km² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/km² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52...

In 1937, Lemkin was appointed a member of the Polish mission to the 4th Congress on Criminal Law in Paris, where he also introduced the possibility of defending peace through criminal law. Among the most important of his works of that period are a compendium of Polish criminal and taxation law, Prawo karne skarbowe (1938) and a French language work, La réglementation des paiements internationaux, regarding international trade law (1939). 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

World War II

During the Polish Defensive War of 1939 Lemkin joined the Polish Army and defended Warsaw during the siege of that city, where he was injured by a bullet to the hip, afterward evading capture by the Germans. In 1940 he traveled through Lithuania to reach Sweden, where he first lectured at the University of Stockholm. With the help of Malcolm McDermott Lemkin recieved permission to enter the United States, arriving on the East coast of the United States in 1941. Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... Battle of Warsaw Conflict Polish Defence War of 1939 Date 8 to September 28, 1939 Place Warsaw, Poland Result Polish defeat The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army (Armia Warszawa) garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland (Warsaw) and the German Army. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Stockholm University Stockholm University, or Stockholms universitet, is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Although he managed to save his life, he lost 49 relatives in the Holocaust; they were among over 3 million Polish Jews who were annihilated during the Nazi occupation. Some members of his family died in Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. The only European members of Lemkin's family who survived the Holocaust were his brother, Elias, and his wife and two sons, who had been sent to a Soviet forced labour camp. Lemkin did however successfully aid his brother and family immigrate to Montreal, Canada in 1948. Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ... From the Middle Ages until the Holocaust, Jews were a significant part of the Polish population. ... Under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, adjusted by agreement on 28 September 1939, the Soviet Union annexed all Polish territory east of the line of the rivers Pisa, Narew, Western Bug, and San, except for Wilno country with its capital Wilno (Vilnius), which was given to Lithuania, and... Gulag (Russian: ГУЛАГ ▶ (help· info)) is an acronym for Главное Управление Исправительно—Трудовых Лагерей и колоний, Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey i kolonii, The Chief Directorate [or Administration] of Corrective Labour Camps and Colonies. Anne Applebaum, in her book Gulag: A History, explains: Literally, the word GULAG is an acronym, meaning Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei, or Main Camp Administration. ... City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay MPs Vivian Barbot, Bernard Bigras, Denis Coderre, Irwin Cotler, Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe, Marlene Jennings, Francine Lalonde, Jean Lapierre, Paul Martin, Réal Ménard, Serge Ménard, Maria Mourani, Massimo Pacetti, Bernard Patry... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After arriving in the United States Lemkin joined the law faculty at Duke University in North Carolina in 1941. During the Summer of 1942 Lemkin lectured at the School of Military Government at the University of Virginia. He also wrote Military Government in Europe, which was a preliminary version of his more fully developed publication Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. In 1943 Lemkin was appointed consultant to the the U.S. Board of Economic Warfare and Foreign Economic Administration and later became a special adviser on foreign affairs to the War Department, largely due to his expertise in international law Duke Chapel Duke University is a private, coeducational, research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Although founded in 1924, Duke traces its roots back to 1838. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 805 km 240 km 9. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... Website Virginia. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Office of Administrator of Export Control was established by Presidential Proclamation 2413, July 2, 1940, to administer export licensing provisions of the act of July 2, 1940 (54 Stat. ... The Foreign Economic Administration (FEA) 1940-47 The Office of Arms and Munitions Control established in the Department of State to administer provisions of Joint Resolution 67 (49 Stat. ... International law, is the body of law that regulates the activities of entities possessing international personality. Traditionally, that meant the conduct and relationships of states. ...

In 1944, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published Lemkin's most important work, entitled Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, in the United States. This book included an extensive legal analysis of German rule in countries occupied by Nazi Germany during the course of World War II, along with the definition of the term genocide. Lemkin's idea of genocide as an offense against international law was widely accepted by the international community and was one of the legal bases of the Nuremberg Trials. In 1945-1946, Lemkin became an advisor to Supreme Court of the United States Justice and Nuremberg Trial chief counsel Robert H. Jackson. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Endowments headquarters at 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private nonprofit organization promoting international cooperation and active international engagement by the United States of America. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the... Genocide is defined by the JERRFGGHH and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]] (CPPCG) article 2 as any of the following acts part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting... The Nuremberg Trials is the name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Supreme Court of the United States is the supreme court in the United States. ... The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ... Justice Jackson Robert Houghwout Jackson (February 13, 1892 – October 9, 1954) was United States Attorney General (1940 - 1941) and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1941 - 1954). ...

Post-War

After the war, Lemkin remained in fexile in the United States. From 1948 onward he gave lectures on criminal law at Yale University. Lemkin also continued his campaign for international laws defining and forbidding genocide, which he had championed ever since the Madrid conference of 1933. He proposed a similar ban on crimes against humanity during the Paris Peace Conference of 1945, but his proposal was turned down. 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Yale University is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, negotiated the treaties ending World War I. The Paris Peace Conference, 1946, negotiated the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947, with Germanys [[World War II allies and co-belligerents in Europe. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Lemkin presented a draft resolution for a Genocide Convention treaty to a number of countries in an effrot to persuade them to sponsor the resolution. With the support of the United States, the resolution was placed before the General Assembly for consideration. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was was formally presented and adopted on December 9, 1948. In 1951, Lemkin achieved his goal when the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide came into force, after the 20th nation had ratified the treaty. The Convention defines genocide as: The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948 and came into effect in January 1951. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948 and came into effect in January 1951. ...

any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, such as:

 * (a) Killing members of the group; * (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; * (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; * (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; * (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. 

Recognition

For his work on international law and the prevention of war crimes, Lemkin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959. Although he was never awarded the Nobel Prize, he did receive a number of other awards, including the Cuban Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes in 1950, the Stephen Wise Award of the American Jewish Congress in 1951, and the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955. On the 50th anniversary of the Convention entering into force, Dr. Lemkin was also honored by the UN Secretary-General as "an inspiring example of moral engagement." The Nobel Peace Prize Medal featuring a portrait of Alfred Nobel The Nobel Peace Prize is one of five Nobel Prizes bequested by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Carlos Céspedes. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Stephen Samuel Wise (1862 - 1949) was a Hungarian- born U.S. rabbi and Zionist leader. ... The American Jewish Congress is a civil rights body formed both to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, as well as to act as a conduit for pro-civil rights activities in the American Jewish community. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Death

Lemkin died of a heart attack at the public relations office of Milton H. Blow in New York City in 1959, at the age of 59. In an ironic final twist for a man whose life was dedicated to the remembrance of millions of victims of genocide, seven people attended his funeral.^[2] Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

1. ^ William Korey, "Raphael Lemkin: 'The Unofficial Man'," Midstream, June-July 1989, p. 45-48
2. ^ A. M. Rosenthal, "A Man Called Lemkin," New York Times, October 18, 1988, p.A31

References

• Lemkin, R. Axis Rule In Occupied Europe: Laws Of Occupation, Analysis Of Government, Proposals For Redress. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Division of International Law, 1944.

External links

• Biographical sketch of Raphael Lemkin
• Key writings of Raphael Lemkin on Genocide, 1933-1947
• Guide to the Papers of Raphael Lemkin
• Acts Constituting a General (Transnational) Danger Considered as Offenses Against the Law of Nations (for definitions of "barbarity" and "vandalism")
• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide