The Fraye Arbeter Shtime papers consist of manuscripts submitted for publication during the editorships of Joseph Cohen (1923-32) and Mark Mrachnyi (1934-40).
Fraye Arbeter Shtime (Freie Arbeiter Stimme in German and Free Voice of Labor in English) was the leading Jewish anarchist publication in the United States during its long print run, from 1890 to 1977. The Yiddish-language journal had its roots in the first Jewish anarchist group in the United States, the Pioneers of Liberty. The Pioneers were formed by Jewish anarchists in New York City's Lower East Side in 1886. Realizing the need for a Yiddish-language anarchist press, members of the Pioneers started a Yiddish-language journal called Varhayt (Truth) in 1889. Although Varhayt is significant as the first attempt at publishing a Yiddish anarchist journal in the United States, it was unsuccessful, ceasing publication after only five months. The following year, members of the Pioneers made another attempt at journalism and began publishing Fraye Arbeter Shtime (hereafter abbreviated as F.A.S.) The journal's inaugural issue was published on July 4, 1890. The F.A.S. struggled throughout the 1890s. The journal was beset by financial difficulties, and went on a five-year hiatus beginning in 1894. In 1899, F.A.S. was revived under the energetic editorial direction of Saul Yanovsky. Yanovsky was known for his abrasive personal style, caustic sarcasm, and eye for literary talent. During Yanovsky's editorship, the journal published many of the leading anarchist writers, including Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin, Voltairine de Cleyre, and Max Nettlau. This period, which lasted until Yanovsky's resignation in 1919, was the high point of the journal's literary success and political influence. After several years of editorial disarray, Joseph Cohen served as editor for nine years, from 1923 to 1932. Under Cohen, the F.A.S. continued to publish important anarchist writers, and became more heavily involved in labor activism. After Cohen resigned his post to start the Sunrise colony in Michigan, Mark Mrachnyi became the editor of F.A.S. Mrachnyi served from 1934 to 1940, and the journal focused on reporting the progress of the Spanish Civil War during his editorship. After this period, the F.A.S. steadily declined in circulation and influence, as the size and vitality of the Jewish anarchist community waned. Nevertheless, the publication continued until 1977, when it was the oldest Yiddish publication in the country, and probably the oldest anarchist journal in the world. Researchers interested in the Fraye Arbeter Shtime might consult the book Anarchist Portraits by Paul Avrich (Princeton University Press, 1988), particularly the chapter on Jewish anarchism.
