Paul Levi, one of the most noted Socialist figures of Germany, a member for many years of the German Reichtag, died here yesterday afternoon in a tragic manner. He had been lying for several days in the hospital suffering with pneumonia. In a feverish condition, while the nurse who was attending him stepped out of his room for a moment, he opened the window in order to get some fresh air. But while doing this he lost his balance and fell out of the window to the street five floors below.
Paul Levi, who was only 47 years old, was considered one of the ablest men in the German parliament. He came of a rich Jewish family. Immediately after the war he had joined the Communists and together with Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht tried to organize a German communist government. After the assassination of Liebknecht and Luxemburg he took over the leadership of the German Communist Party, but because, as he said, Moscow demanded too great a sacrifice of human lives, he left the Communists and rejoined the Social-Democrats.
In spite of his extremist views, Levi was respected by people of all parties for his unusual oratorical ability, scholarship and honesty. Levi, who was a lawyer by profession, actively participated in the fight against anti-Semitism in Germany and at every opportunity would emphasize his Jewish origin.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
