Abraham Jakira was a central figure in the founding of U.S. Communism. A rare leader of the Russian Language Federation to go with the Communist Labor Party, Jakira would serves as Executive Secretary of the underground Communist Party of America. Later, he was Pittsburgh district organizer. Born in the Russian Empire in 1886, Jakira emigrated to the U.S. in 1912 and was active in the revolutionary movement until his death from lung cancer in March, 1931. Notices of comrade Jakira’s illness, death, and memorial below.

‘Comrade Abraham Jakira, a Leader of the Communist Party, Dead’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 8 No. 70. March 21, 1931.

JAKIRA, PIONEER IN STRUGGLE, ILL. February 25, 1931.

Already Spent 6 Weeks in New York Hospital

NEW YORK. A. Jakira, national organizational secretary of the International Labor Defense and for twenty-five years active in the militant workers’ movement, is seriously ill in the hospital for the past six weeks. Many letters have arrived in the offices of the I.L.D. requesting information regarding Comrade Jakira’s health.

Jakira is one of the pioneers of the Communist movement in the United States, helping to organize the first Communist Party in America, and in the underground days was the secretary of the organization. After the release of Charles E. Ruthenberg from jail Comrade Jakira became assistant secretary of the Party.

He was arrested on numerous occasions in working-class struggles, especially during the red raids of 1920 and in the May Day demonstration of 1925, when he was district organizer for the Party in Pittsburgh.

Jakira was an important factor in the fight against the famine in the Soviet Union, devoting his tireless energy to helping the workers in Russia during their bitterest days to overcome the attacks from the capitalist world and its invading armies and the famine on the inside. At that time Jakira was with the Friends of Soviet Russia.

Since 1929 Comrade Jakira has devoted all his interests within the International Labor Defense as organizational secretary, building the defense organization into a powerful weapon against the terror of the ruling class in the United States and in foreign countries.

Comrade Abraham Jakira, a Leader of the Communist Party, Dead. March 21, 1931.

Abraham Jakira, assistant secretary of the International Labor Defense, died Friday after many months of illness, suffering from a cancer in the throat.

With the loss of Comrade Jakira the Communist and revolutionary movement loses one of its staunchest and devoted fighters. Comrade Jakira who was a co-worker of Ruthenberg, is the second leader of the Party to die since the formation of the Party which he helped to organize.

There can be no question that his untimely death was caused by his untiring work in the interests of our class. Comrade Jakira never for a moment in his long career in the revolutionary movement allowed personal welfare to interfere with his work. As late as a few weeks ago when his condition was already quite serious he insisted that he remain at his post. From a sick bed he came to the recent National Conference of the International Labor Defense to participate in the discussion of the important problems that arose as a result of the increased persecution of the working class fighters throughout the country.

Comrade Jakira was active in the left wing of the socialist party. He was one of the founders of the Communist Party which he helped organize in September, 1919. Later on he was the secretary of the illegal Communist Party in its most difficult and trying period. He was arrested many times during this period.

Later on when the Party came out into the open and Ruthenberg, released from jail, became again secretary of the Party, then the Workers Party, Comrade Jakira was assistant national secretary.

In the course of the next few years he was district organizer in Philadelphia, working in Pittsburgh, where he played an important role in the big miners’ strike. He was one of the leading forces in Pittsburgh that helped the miners to form the National Miners’ Union.

During his whole activity in the Party Comrade Jakira was a devoted soldier in the ranks of the Communist International never for a moment wavering. In the many crisis our party underwent he always remained steadfast and loyal to the Communist International.

In recent days his ailment continued to grow worse. It was clear to his friends and comrades who visited him that his days were numbered. But he did not think of himself. Always from his sick bed in the Harlem hospital he was interested only in the Party and its work, the advance of the revolutionary movement.

Comrade Jakira’s body will be brought to the Workers Center, 50 E. 13th St., where his comrades and revolutionary workers can come and pay him their last honors. The body will be on the second floor from Saturday afternoon until Monday 1 p.m., at which time there will be held a memorial meeting in the same building. From the memorial meeting the funeral will take place on Monday.

JAKIRA MEMORIAL MEETING AT WORKERS CENTER TODAY AT 1. March 23, 1931.

NEW YORK. A memorial meeting for Comrade Abram Jakira will be held at one o’clock today in the Workers’ Center.

Comrade Jakira, assistant secretary of the International Labor Defense and long active in the working-class movement and in the Communist Party of which he was one of the founders, died last Friday after many months of illness, suffering from a cancer in the throat. The body lies in state on the second floor of the Workers Center, here all Saturday afternoon and evening and all day Sunday a steady stream of his comrades and revolutionary workers have viewed the body and paid their last honors to this self-sacrificing revolutionist.

Following the memorial meeting, at which Foster, Tratchenberg, Maurer and Amter will speak, there will be a funeral march from the Center at 35 East 12th Street to 59^th Street.

The International Red Aid, advised by cable of the death of Comrade Jakira, has sent the following cable to the I.L.D.:

“International Red Aid feels deeply the loss of brave fighter Jakira. Trusts thousand workers will fill his place.”

Immediately following the news of Jakira’s death, the International Labor Defense issued to all districts and sub-districts of the organization as well as to the International Red Aid the following statement:

“Comrade Abram Jakira, assistant secretary of the International Labor Defense is now dead. His loss to the I.L.D. and to the revolutionary movement is a great one. His every concern even while he was sick has been for the growth and strengthening of the class struggle. The spreading of the struggle throughout the world gave him courage while he was on his death bed, and he hoped very much to be able to return to work. He gave his life to the revolutionary movement. His memory and a tribute to his services must be raised at every meeting within the next few weeks, especially at the March 28 meetings. His great devotion to our cause must be hailed as an example, and a call made on all workers and especially to all I.L.D. functionaries to make more than good his loss, recruiting many hundreds of workers into membership.”

Comrade Jakira. March 24, 1931.

With the death of Comrade Jakira, the Communist Party has lost one of its most devoted members, and the workers, a valiant fighter for their cause. Comrade Jakira was one of the leaders in the fight against the reactionary socialist party officials who are today openly social-fascists, and was one of the organizers of the Communist Party.

From the inception of the Communist Party he was most active in its ranks. During the days of the Palmer raids when the Party faced extreme hardships he was the secretary of the Communist Party. Later he was organizer of the Party in Pittsburgh where he was a tireless worker in the mobilization of the miners of the district into the Save-the-Union Committee which later developed into the National Miners Union.

At the first convention of the union, when the delegates had to face police, thugs, gangsters of the Lewis machine and the whole city force, Comrade Jakira, as head of the district mobilized all of the forces so that the convention could be held. In the more recent period. Comrade Jakira was associated with the International Labor Defense and at the time of his death was Organization Secretary of this organization.

Comrade Jakira was one of the most loyal and devoted members of the Party and as a leader set an example which the younger members may well follow. Comrade Jakira thought of nothing else but the revolutionary movement and although handicapped by ill-health which sometimes limited his activities, nevertheless, he possessed all the qualities which are necessary to build up organization and establish. working class power.

The Central Committee calls upon our members of the Party, on the death of Comrade Jakira to renew their energy in building up the Party so that the Party may be better able to carry on the struggle for the immediate demands of the working class and for its ultimate aims. Especially the younger members of the Party and the Young Communist League must take an example from Comrade Jakira and learn from his life that nothing comes before the building of the mass Communist Party as the leader of the mass struggles of the workers of this country.

CENTRAL COMMITTEE-COMMUNIST PARTY OF U.S.A.

MANY AT FUNERAL OF COM. JAKIRA. March 24, 1931.

Weinstone and Dunne Cable Regrets

NEW YORK. The memorial meeting for Comrade Jakira, assistant secretary of the International Labor Defense, who died last Friday, was held in the Workers Center at noon yesterday and attended by several hundred workers. Brief and impressive addresses honoring the heroic devotion of Comrade Jakira in the revolutionary movement were made by Comrades Maurer, Foster, Stachel, Haywood, Trachtenberg and Amter, the latter acting as chairman.

The funeral march, which started from the center at 2 o’clock sharp, was participated in by over 500 workers. The line of march was through 12th Street to 4th Ave., down 4th Ave. to Union Square and 16th St.

The following telegram was received today from Comrades Weinstone and Dunne:

“Sorry to learn of death of our old co-worker, Comrade Jakira. In his untimely death the Party loses a reliable, experienced worker and a devoted, loyal revolutionary.”

At the convention of Section Four on Sunday, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

“The Section Convention of Sec. 4, Dist. 2, expresses its deep regret over the death of Comrade Jakira. Comrade Jakira was not only a pioneer of the Communist Party, but during the whole existence of the Party was one of the most active and capable leaders. Comrade Jakirą was a member of this section and was very active in its work.

“The Party loses a very active, loyal, devoted member in the death of Comrade Jakira, and every member of the Party must determine to build up the Party by mass work and recruitment of new members to replace this active worker.”

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.