What is the legacy of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? 72 years have gone by since the unlawful execution of the Jewish couple. Their tragic deaths remind us of what humanity has endured against tyranny and oppression. They are a legacy of the American people who fight for freedom and justice.
The Rosenbergs were freedom fighters. They supported the democratically elected Spanish Republicans against the fascist rebels during the Spanish Civil War. They were both active in trade unions. They both were true Americans who wanted peace between the Soviet Union and the U.S.
In his funeral eulogy for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, W.E.B. Du Bois declared, “They died because they would not lie.” The Rosenbergs were shocked to death in the electric chair by the U.S. government on Juneteenth 1953. It’s a reminder of the historical endurance of the liberation movement that has been unfortunately paved with the loss of human life.
The Sham Trial
The Rosenbergs and Morton Sobell were convicted in a show trial of conspiracy against the U.S. government for aiding the Soviet Union, which was an ally of the U.S., during the Second World War. Although at the time a quarter of New York City’s population was Jewish, not a single Jewish juror was chosen.
Morton Sobell who was also tried along with the Rosenbergs was kidnapped from Mexico, beaten, and brought to the U.S. so he could be put on trial by the U.S., government.
Roy Cohn, one of the federal judges, had illegal conversations with presiding Judge Irving Kaufman in which Cohn urged the death penalty. After working with Senator Joe McCarthy in his anti-communist witch hunt, Cohn became a lawyer for Donald Trump protecting him from his unlawful acts.
The Rosenbergs did not falter towards coercion even in their darkest hour. They could have been spared their lives had they just continued the witch hunt that the government led prosecution and wanted to continue to destroy the movement that was seeking to bring peace during the Cold War.
The fight to Exonerate the Rosenbergs is a Continuation of the fight for Protecting Our Civil Rights!
We must not forget that reactionary forces use these gangster-like tactics and they could use them again today.
Under Trump, we see our democratic freedom eroding as immigrants are unlawfully imprisoned and disappeared to foreign prisons with human rights abuses and horrific conditions. Politicians and activists who are standing up to governmental overreach are also being carried away in handcuffs as well.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg’s innocence must be proven. This will mark a significant advance in the struggle against repression, intimidation, and frame-ups.
The Rosenbergs’ deaths remind us that we must fight for the exoneration of all innocent victims charged by the state’s misuse of government procedures and our judicial system. Their legacy must never be forgotten.