Dr. Alexander Braudo, Russian Jewish Scholar, Dies of Heart Failure in London

Alexander Braudo, prominent Russia Jewish scholar, died of heart failure Saturday night on the eve of his departure to Russia Dr. Braudo, who was 60 years old, was one of the leading political figures in pre-war Russia.

Dr. Brando occupied the post of head of the Petrograd library for 35 years and played an important part in Jewish life in Russia. He was active in all organizations whose purpose was the emancipation of Russian Jewry.

While mainly a historian of international prominence, he devoted much of his time to the promotion of education among Russian Jewry. He was secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Education, member of the advisory board of the Jewish Colonization Association and intermediary in Russian affairs for the Alliance Israelite Universelle, the Hilfsverein De Deutschen Juden, the American Jewish Committee, the Anglo-Jewish Joint Foreign Committee and many other organizations.

Dr. Brando played an important part in the negotiations between the Czarist government of Russia and the United States Government concerting the rights of American Jews in the former Russian Empire. He was also prominently associated with the defense of Mendel Beilis during the ritual murder trial in Kiev in 1912.

Dr. Braudo left Petrograd two months ago on a mission to the capitals of Europe for the purpose of renewing the connection of the Petrograd Library with the great European libraries. He also planned to raise funds for the purpose of aiding Jewish scholars in Soviet Russia who were engaged in historical research work. He visited Berlin, Paris and London where he succeeded in raising funds. He intended to return to the European capitals next year for the purpose of making final arrangement for the publication of a book to be known as the “History of Jewish Emancipation in Russia”. The book contains many valuable documents, copies of which are in the archives on the Jewish National Library in Jerusalem.