Nachum Syrkin was born to a Lithuanian Jewish family in Mogilev, Russian Empire (now Belarus).

Syrkin's daughter Marie was a noted writer, educator and American Zionist activist.

[3] Syrkin worked to establish socialist Zionist groups throughout Central Europe.

[4][5] In 1919, Syrkin was a member of the American Jewish delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference.

He was also a leading figure in the World Poale Zion conference that year and was given the task of visiting Palestine to develop a plan for kibbutz settlement.