Jennifer Meeropol is the granddaughter of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and the daughter of RFC Founder, Robert Meeropol. Jenn became the Executive Director of the RFC on September 1, 2013. Prior posts on this page were written by Robert (unless otherwise noted), and represent his opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the RFC.
This fall the Rosenberg Fund for Children awarded 78 grants totaling over $200,000. Eleven new families received funding, joining 64 families who received renewal grants. In addition, the RFC Board awarded one group grant, another grant to provide grocery gift cards for current beneficiary families, and a grant to allow the RFC to host virtual programming for beneficiaries and their families this spring. Altogether, this brings the total granted in our 30+ year history to over $8 million!
Looking back on 2021 I am reminded of Charles Dickens’ famous opening line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The worsts are unfortunately easy to list and include a violent, reactionary and unhinged former president; a global health crisis that killed millions; climate degradation and disaster across the continents; a growing crisis at our borders fed by racist, xenophobic immigration policy; continued war, famine and global strife; and ever-growing income inequality.
But the bests give me such profound hope. Millions of young people fighting for climate justice and their future; continued organizing for racial justice, abolition and an end to the carceral state; growing efforts to force Amazon and other exploitative businesses to pay a living wage, offer benefits and end hostile workplaces; and so much more.
I started my new job as the RFC’s Communications Manager during the pandemic, exactly one year ago today. I'm feeling supported in my role and am finding the work to be challenging, meaningful, and exactly what I needed and was hoping to find in a new job.
Guest Blog by RFC Founder Robert Meeropol. Earlier this month we lost a major figure in the Rosenberg Case struggle when David Alman died at the age of 102. In 1951, he and his wife, Emily Alman, were cofounders of the National Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case. Dave wrote decades later that the few who formed the original core of the Committee weren’t the best people to do it, but there was no one else.
In late June, when the staff sat down to write the articles for the RFC fall newsletter, we saw so many reasons to anticipate a brighter fall and winter and, hopefully, a continual decline in COVID transmission and an ever increasing sense that it would be safe to bring our community back together in person. Infection rates were dropping, vaccination rates were rising, and in the Western Mass community around the RFC office, there was a gradual return to something approaching a pre-COVID “normal.”