Wasilewski, Leon
1870–1936
He was a Polish politician, ethnographer, journalist, and writer. He co-founded the Jewish section of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS [Polska Partia Socjalistyczna]) in the late 1890s. Between the world wars, he was the Polish minister and ambassador in Latvia.
He was the author of a series of works, such as: Die Judenfrage in Kongress-Polen, ihre Schwierigkeiten und ihre Lösung (The Jewish Question in Congress Poland, Difficulties and Solution) (Vienna, 1915), 45 pp.
During party activities, he mastered speaking and reading Yiddish.
He contributed to: Der Arbayter (The Laborer), Yiddish organ of the PPS (London-Cracow-Warsaw, 1898-1906), and he edited issues 2, 3, 4, and 5; and Di Proletarishe Velt (The Proletarian World) (London, 1902), and he edited its October issue.
He died in Warsaw.
Sources: P. Shvarts, Yuzef Pilsudski, zayn Batsiung tsu der Yidn-Frage, un zayn Kamf Kegn “Bund” (1893-1905) (Józef Piłsudski, his Connection to the Jewish Question and his Struggle Against the Bund, 1893-1905) (Warsaw, 1936), see index; Zamlbukh Lekoved dem Tsveyhundert un Fuftsikstn Yoyvl fun der Yidisher Prese, 1686-1936 (Anthology in Honor of the 250Th Jubilee of the Yiddish Press, 1686-1936), ed. Dr. Y. Shatski (New York, 1937), p. 325; Shtern (Kiev) (September 25, 1940); Buletin fun Bund-Arkhiv (New York) 1 (January 1960), p. 6.