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Review
. 2022 Apr 26;13(2):e0013.
doi: 10.5041/RMMJ.10466.

Starvation Genocide and the Triumph of Raphael Lemkin

George M Weisz  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Starvation Genocide and the Triumph of Raphael Lemkin

George M Weisz. Rambam Maimonides Med J. .

Abstract

Today, in the 21st century, most people are aware of the term genocide. However, few people are aware that this term only entered the English language in the 1940s, as a result of the dedicated work of a brilliant and successful man who deprived himself of a private family life so that he could be free to fight for his ideas. Although Raphael Lemkin was instrumental in the recognition of genocide by the United Nations, he died too early and was buried with no honor. This paper reviews the life and work of Raphael Lemkin, and his triumph in seeing genocide recognized as a crime.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photo of Raphael Lemkin on his War Department Identification Card. Photo by usafdo from Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25927143/raphael-lemkin).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Grave of Raphael Lemkin. Photo by Ronzoni at Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25927143/raphael-lemkin).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Power S. “A Problem from Hell” – America and the Age of Genocide. New York, NY: Basic Books; 2012. p. 20.
    1. Freize DL, editor. Totally Unofficial: The Autobiography of Raphael Lemkin. New Haven, CT, USA: Yale University Press; 2013.
    1. Lemkin R. Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation – Analysis of Government – Proposals for Redress. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; 1944.
    1. Lemkin R. Genocide – A Modern Crime. [accessed February 10, 2022];Free World. 1945 4:39–43. Available at: http://www.preventgenocide.org/lemkin/freeworld1945.htm.
    1. Celan P. Joris P, translator. Death Fugue. [accessed February 1, 2022]. Available at: https://poets.org/poem/death-fugue.

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