Personal archives of Pesakh Marek, Jewish public figure, folklorist and historian (Fond 9533, Opis1)

Pyotr (Pesakh) Marek (1862-1920) was born in Sheduva, Lithuania. He recived a traditional Jewish education as well as a secular one. During his studies at the law faculty of Moscow University, along with future prominent Zionist leaders such as Chlenov and Usyhskin, he took active part in the Bnei Zion Society. In 1888 Marek published his first research paper on the history of Jewish printing in Russia. In 1898, along with another prominent Jewish historian, Saul Ginsburg, Marek embarked on an expedition to collect authentic Jewish folk songs. The anthology of collected folk songs was published in 1901. This book became a cornerstone for development of the study of Jewish musical folklore. In 1909, Marek published research on the History of Education of Jews in Russia. Pesakh Marek was also the author of numerous publications on the History of Russian Jewry, published in Russian Jewish periodicals such as Voskhod, Evreyskiy Mir, Evreyskaya Starina and others. Consists of personal documents related to the literary and public activities of Pesakh Marek, including correspondence with friends and colleagues, letters received by Pesakh Marek, as well as a small collection of letters of Marek’s acquaintances. Among correspondents are Maxime Vinaver, Saul Ginsburg, Yuliy Gessen, Leon Maze and others. The collection includes drafts of Marek’s research articles, papers, presentations and books and his notebooks and card catalogues. A significant part of Marek’s archives also has information about Jewish education in Russia, along with extensive correspondence and surveys of Jewish schools in Russia. Also includes various documents related to the history of Jewish political, cultural, educational and public organizations, such as minutes of their meetings, bylaws, appeals and resolutions.