Akzin (Aktsin) Benjamin (Benyamin) (1904, Riga – 1985, Jerusalem) – Legal scholar, Zionist activist.
Benjamin Akzin received a traditional Jewish upbringing and education in a family where Yiddish and Russian were the primary languages of communication, while Hebrew was the first language he learned. He studied the Bible, Talmud, and Jewish history under the guidance of private tutors.
Benjamin Aktsin attended a state-run Russian-language gymnasium in Riga and later a German gymnasium. In 1915, he studied at a school in Saratov, where his family had been evacuated during World War I.
Aktsin's interest in ideological, state, and political issues arose during the Russian Revolution.In 1917, for the first time, he attended a Zionist meeting with his father. By 1919, he had joined a Zionist organisation in Riga and was an initiator of a Zionist group for gymnasium students.
In his final year in Riga, Benjamin Akzin served as secretary of the “Eretz Israel Centre”, which issued certificates for immigration to Palestine, assisted Jewish repatriates from Latvia, and maintained links with all Zionist organisations in the country.
Education and Academic Career
In 1922, Benjamin Akzin enrolled at the University of Vienna, studying political science (earning a doctorate in 1925). Between 1926 and 1928, he pursued studies in international law at the University of Paris, obtaining a Doctor of Law degree in 1929. During this time, he made frequent trips to England, conducting research for his dissertation in British libraries. From 1930 to 1932, he was an assistant at the University of Paris.
While studying in Vienna, Benjamin Akzin was part of the leadership of the Union of Jewish Zionist Students of Eastern Europe. In 1925, he joined the Revisionist Zionist movement, becoming close to Vladimir Jabotinsky. For some time, he served as Jabotinsky’s secretary and collaborated with the magazine “Rassvet”, published by Jabotinsky in Paris (1922–1934).
Between 1936 and 1940, Benjamin Akzin headed the Political Department of the New Zionist Organisation, founded by Jabotinsky. From 1932 to 1936, he continued his education in the United States on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship, studying at Harvard and other universities. He also worked as an assistant at Harvard University. Between 1936 and 1941, he taught at a law college in Boston.
From 1941 to 1944, Benjamin Azin served as a legal and international affairs consultant at the Library of Congress. During 1944–1945, he worked in the U.S. War Refugee Board, a government agency established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to aid Jewish refugees during World War II. Between 1945 and 1947, he led the Washington branch of the Emergency Zionist Council, formed during World War II by the American branch of the World Zionist Organisation.
Move to Israel and Contributions
In 1949, Akzin emigrated to Israel and became one of the founders of the Faculty of Law and the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he worked from 1950 to 1969. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Law in 1951–1954, 1956–1958, and 1961–1963.
During these years, he was also an invited lecturer at the University of Michigan, New York University, the University of Paris, and Harvard University.
Between 1969 and 1972, he served as Rector and Acting President of the University of Haifa.
Akzin played a crucial role in training multiple generations of Israeli legal scholars.
He was a member of numerous academic organisations, including serving as Vice-President of the International Association of Political Science and a member of the World Federation for UN Support.
His primary areas of academic interest included constitutional law and political science.
Publications and Legacy
His first academic article on legal theory was published in Paris in 1927.
Among his most significant works:
“Fundamentals: Issues of Public Law” (1929, in French)
“Principles of State Governance” (1952, in Hebrew)
“New States and International Organisations” (1955, in French)
“State and Nation” (1964, in English)
“Theory of State Governance” (1963–1965, in Hebrew)
In 1965, he authored a draft constitution for Israel
At the end of his life, he wrote memoirs (published posthumously), with a focus on his childhood, family, studies in Riga and abroad, and his involvement in the Zionist movement.
He provided valuable insights into the intellectual atmosphere of multicultural Riga in the 1920s–1930s.
For his outstanding contributions, he was awarded the Israel Prize in 1967.
Selected Works
Akzin B. “From Riga to Jerusalem” (Jerusalem, 1989, in Hebrew).
References
Gelzer Sh. “Benyamin Akzin: From Riga to Jerusalem”, in Jews in a Changing World: Materials of the 4th International Conference, Riga, 2002.
Slivkina E. “Famous Jews from the Baltics – Builders of the State of Israel”, in Jews in a Changing World: Materials of the 3rd International Conference, Riga, 1999.
Illustrations
Benjamin Akzin
Benjamin Akzin
Benjamin Akzin gymnasium student
Benjamin Akzin with Zhabotinsky (book cover)