Nurok Markus (1879-1962)

Nurok (Nurock) Markus (1879–1962) — leader of Latvia’s religious Zionist party Mizrachi, a figure who came to personify this movement in the country.

Between 1919 and 1940, Markus Nurok was mentioned more than 110 times in the newspaper Segodnya (“Today”) alone—placing him third among Jewish politicians after M. Dubin and M. Lazerson. One of the most authoritative Jewish political figures of his time, Nurok was a Jewish—and specifically Zionist—leader of international standing. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the World Zionist Organization, the Executive Committee of the World Mizrachi Organization, the directorate of the worldwide Keren Hayesod fund, head of its Latvian organization, and one of the founders of the World Jewish Congress (WJC).

He served as a delegate to Jewish relief conferences from Courland, to Zionist congresses, and to world Mizrachi conferences. As part of the delegation of Eastern European Jewry, Nurok participated in the Paris Peace Conference. At the first congress of Jews ever held—representing 32 countries and one-third of world Jewry—he was a member of the presidium. That congress examined the situation of Jews worldwide and established Jewish representation at the League of Nations. Nurok also participated in drafting the European Convention on National Minorities.

In the Latvian Saeima (Parliament), Markus Nurok was always in opposition; nevertheless, as one of the leaders of the minorities’ bloc and an authoritative public figure, he was repeatedly included in Latvian delegations to interparliamentary congresses in Geneva, Berlin, and London. He maintained close ties with Latvia’s ruling circles. His stature is reflected in the fact that in 1926 the president considered entrusting him with forming a government, and in 1930 there were plans to appoint him minister without portfolio.

Markus Nurok was born in Tukums (then Tukkum) into a rabbinical family. One of his ancestors, Hirsch Nurok, had been the spiritual rabbi of Mitau (Jelgava). Nurok completed a yeshiva in Lithuania and became a rabbi. In 1913, he inherited from his father, Zvi Nurok, the position of Chief Rabbi of Mitau (Jelgava). He also studied at Moscow University; some publications state that he held a doctorate in philosophy.

His political activity began in Imperial Russia, where he early joined the Zionist movement. Nurok was active in Mizrachi from its founding. In 1902, he was a delegate from Courland to the conference of Russian Zionists in Minsk. The following year, he participated in the Sixth Zionist Congress as a Mizrachi delegate and delivered a sharp speech against the Uganda Plan.

During World War I, he moved first to Petrograd and then to Moscow, where from 1915 to 1921 he served as deputy chairman of the Jewish community led by the renowned Rabbi Ya. I. Maze. At the same time, as deputy head of the economic administration of the Committee for Refugee Affairs, he did much to assist Jewish refugees. After the February Revolution of 1917, he founded the national-religious party Masoret ve-Herut (“Tradition and Freedom”). In 1919, he was arrested by the Cheka but soon released.

In 1921, Nurok returned to Latvia and immediately became deeply involved in public and political life: he was elected chairman of the Congress of Jewish Communities and became head of the Mizrachi party. He was a deputy in all four Latvian Saeimas. There he usually supported right-centrist politicians and was highly active; in the First, Second, and Fourth Saeimas he served on two to four parliamentary commissions and was also a member of the Council of the Cultural Fund.

Throughout his parliamentary career, Markus Nurok demonstrated loyalty to Latvia while vigorously defending the rights of all national minorities, advocating full equality. He placed great importance on minority autonomy, speaking not only for minorities in Latvia but also for Germans in Poland and the Sudetenland—efforts for which he received thanks from German Chancellor Joseph Wirth and the President of the Reichstag, Paul Löbe.

Markus Nurok actively opposed discrimination against Jews and antisemitism in Latvia and worldwide. He stressed that discrimination prevented Jews from developing their national life, as equality existed only on paper, and demanded national autonomy and a resolution of citizenship issues. In every Saeima, he took part in budget debates, repeatedly arguing that Jews received insufficient funding for education.

Speaking on behalf of the minorities’ bloc in response to antisemitic incidents against Jewish students at the university, he urged colleagues to protect higher education from national hatred, insisting the university must remain a temple of knowledge, culture, and civilization. He sharply criticized what he termed the “rabid anti-Jewish agitation” of certain newspapers and other manifestations of antisemitism. In March 1933, supporting proposals to expel non-citizen fascists and shut down local pro-fascist organizations, he warned that fascism threatened Latvia’s existence and called for resistance to harmful elements on both left and right.

Markus Nurok supported Jewish organizations’ protests in Latvia against antisemitic persecution in Nazi Germany. He chaired the boycott committee, which included representatives of over 20 Jewish organizations, and actively participated in protest rallies—emphasizing that the boycott was not directed against the German minority in Latvia.

His international connections were especially important in combating antisemitism. During a visit to the United States in late 1934–early 1935, he met with leaders such as American Jewish Congress president Bernard Deutsch, Zionist leader Stephen Wise, and New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. At the end of 1939, as a WJC delegate, Nurok established a commission in Vilnius to investigate German atrocities. More than 200 Polish localities were examined, and it was established that many Jews had been burned alive in synagogues. The findings were sent to New York and became the basis for the Black Book. He also did much to aid Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution and finding refuge in Latvia.

At the same time, Nurok acknowledged positive aspects of Latvia’s treatment of Jews. He noted that despite shortcomings in cultural-national autonomy, the situation of the Jewish minority had been good (referring to the period before 1931, prior to the rise of Latvian nationalism). At international congresses before the coup, he highlighted positive elements in Latvia’s minority policies. He publicly thanked poet Jānis Rainis for condemning the use of the slur “žīds” against Jews, and in a commemorative volume dedicated to President Jānis Čakste published an article, “Jānis Čakste and the Jewish Minority,” paying tribute to Čakste’s respectful attitude toward Jews. Nurok also repeatedly reminded the public of Jews’ contributions to Latvia’s independence and state-building.

A committed supporter of parliamentary democracy and parliamentary methods of struggle, Rabbi Nurok was known for his broad-mindedness. While emphasizing the importance of religion in society and individual life, he consistently defended freedom of conscience.

He published several religious works, including The Day of Eternal Rest (From a Rabbi’s Diary), devoted to the 15th day of Kislev, commemorating those who died during the year. There are indications that during the war his articles The Day of Vengeance Is in My Heart and The Year of My Redemption Is at Hand appeared in Jewish publications abroad.

Politically, Markus Nurok was characterized by objectivity and a measure of tolerance toward opponents. For example, he stated that Mizrachi maintained a benevolently neutral stance toward Zionist Revisionism, while rejecting its militant plans and criticizing its harsh tone toward the British. Though an opponent of the Bund, he nonetheless felt compelled to defend it indirectly when police conducted an unlawful search of Jewish Social Democratic premises.

After the coup of 15 May 1934, Nurok remained in opposition to the regime and criticized authoritarianism in public speeches abroad. Efforts by certain high-ranking officials to enable S. Dubnov, M. Nurok, M. Dubin, and others to leave Latvia after the events of 1940 were unsuccessful. On 3 February 1941, Nurok was arrested, spent 14 months in prison, and was exiled to Siberia. In 1943, following a personal request by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was permitted to leave the USSR. He went to New York, where he helped promote the UN General Assembly decision of 29 November 1947 establishing the State of Israel.

From 1947 (or, according to some sources, 1948), Nurok lived in Eretz Israel. From 1949 until his death, he served as a member of the Knesset and as a government minister—Minister of Post (1952). There are reports that he was considered a candidate for the presidency of Israel. He was honorary chairman of the Association of Jews from Latvia and Estonia in Israel. One of the departments of the religious research center Mossad (Rabbi Kook Institute) in Jerusalem bears his name. Markus Nurok died in Tel Aviv in 1962 and was buried in Jerusalem.