Much has been written about Ukrainians who played a major role in setting a new course for the Ukrainian provinces of the former Russian Empire during the period of 1917-1921. However, very little of the published history has focused on the significant accomplishments of the Ukrainian Jewish lawyer, diplomat and public official Arnold Margolin.
He actively participated in parties that helped shape the direction of political thought in the Ukrainian national movement. As a member of the delegation representing the Ukrainian National Republic (Ukrainska Narodnia Respublika, abbreviated UNR, and sometimes the Ukrainian People’s Republic) at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, he tried to enlist the direct support and military aid of the Entente Powers for the nascent Ukrainian state and to seek protection for the Jewish minority from anti-Semitic pogroms.