Robert Klonsky (12 March 1918 – September 7, 2002) was a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which fought on the side of the

Spanish Republicans Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

Biography

Klonsky was born in 1918 in a house on Eastern Parkway in the Brownsville/ East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. His parents were poor religious Jews who had emigrated from

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. His father was a rabbi or a cantor. Klonsky's brother Ben became the chief cantor of

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

, while his brother Mac became a Communist. Klonsky and

Walter Lowenfels Walter Lowenfels (May 10, 1897 – July 7, 1976) was an American poet, journalist, and member of the Communist Party USA. He also edited the Pennsylvania Edition of ''The Worker'', a weekend edition of the Communist-sponsored ''Daily Worker' ...

were defendants in a trial in the mid-1950s of nine

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

members of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

. They were convicted in 1954 of violating the Smith Act, which outlawed "teaching or advocating the overthrow of the American government by force". He served over a year at the federal penitentiary at

Allenwood, Pennsylvania Allenwood (also called Union Town) is a census-designated place in Gregg Township, Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 321. Federal Correctional Complex, Allenwood The Federal Correctional Compl ...

, before the

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

withdrew charges in 1958. After 1958, Klonsky lived in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where he ran a bookstore near

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and where he remained active in organizing workers in the

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industry.. His son,

Michael Klonsky Michael Klonsky (born 1943) is an American educator, author, and political activist. He is known for his work with the Students for a Democratic Society, the New Communist Movement, and, later, the small schools movement. Political activism ...

, also became active in politics, becoming a national secretary of the Students for a Democratic Society and later leader of the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist). Robert Klonsky supported the jailed professor Angela Davis, demonstrated against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and had a few acting parts in movies. He and other survivors of the Spanish war were made honorary citizens of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1998.. Klonsky died on September 7, 2002, in Chicago at the age of 84. His ashes were scattered off the coast of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

References

External links

Robert Klonsky, Spanish Civil War Vet
John Johnson.
Photo of Robert Klonsky, 1937
Peter Stackpole.
Robert Klonsky Papers
at Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University Special Collections. 1918 births 2002 deaths Abraham Lincoln Brigade members American communists 20th-century American Jews American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish anti-fascists Jewish socialists People convicted under the Smith Act 21st-century American Jews {{CP-stub