Jacob Shatzky

Jacob Shatzky (also: Yaakov, or Yankev Shatski; in Polish: Szacki) (1893–1956) was a distinguished Jewish historian.

Shatzky was born in Warsaw. He received a traditional Jewish education and went on to study at universities in Lwów, Vienna, Berlin and Warsaw. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Warsaw in 1922 with a thesis on "The Jewish Question in the Kingdom of Poland During the Paskiewicz Era."[1][2] Historians who studied under Shatzky include Lucy Dawidowicz.[3]

Shatzky enlisted in Pilsudski's Legion and fought with distinction in the First World War; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was sent by the Polish Foreign Ministry in 1918 to report on a pogrom in Vilna. He resigned from his post when it became clear that the government would not act to punish the perpetrators of the pogroms.[1]

Shatzky emigrated to the United States in 1923. He served as Chief Librarian of the New York State Psychiatric Institute from 1930 to 1956.[1] He acquired the personal library of Sigmund Freud for the collection.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Mohrer, Fruma (2006). "Biographical Note." Guide to the Papers of Jacob Shatzky, 1910-1963. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Jacob Shatzky, Historian, Was 61; Author of Monumental Work on Jews of Warsaw Dies --Editor and Librarian (preview only; subscription required to view full article). New York Times, June 14, 1956. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Rabinowitz, Tara (2001). "Biographical Note." Guide to the Papers of Lucy S. Dawidowicz. American Jewish Historical Society. Retrieved June 19, 2021.