Lectures

Each year Robert Meeropol shares his powerful message with audiences at dozens of universities, community centers, literary festivals, bookstores and other venues across the country. All speaking fees are donated to the Rosenberg Fund for Children, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

Presentations include ample time for questions from the audience. Topics typically include: his parents' case; the death penalty; the prison industrial complex; the Bush administration's war on the Constitution; and the work of the Rosenberg Fund for Children. In conjunction with major events, Meeropol is also pleased to visit classrooms or meet with small groups in more informal settings. At the conclusion of each program, Robert Meeropol is available to sign copies of AN EXECUTION IN THE FAMILY.

To schedule an appearance by Robert Meeropol contact Amber Black at the Rosenberg Fund for Children: amber@rfc.org or (413) 529-0063 x 203, or click here for more information.

Current Lectures

NEW REVELATIONS IN THE ROSENBERG CASE

Robert Meeropol was six years old when his parents, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were put to death in the electric chair at Sing Sing for passing the secret of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. For many years after that, he believed his parents to be wholly innocent of the charges against them. But over time, and especially as further evidence became available at the end of the Cold War, Robert began to question that belief.

Now two recent revelations in the Rosenbergs’ case have again rekindled fierce debate about their culpability. After denying it for decades, Morton Sobell, the Rosenbergs’ codefendant, has admitted he and Julius engaged in non-atomic espionage. And in a precedent-setting move, the previously-secret testimony given to the Grand Jury investigating the Rosenberg Case has been released to the public, adding powerful new material to the body of evidence illustrating that Ethel was innocent but framed in order to exert leverage on Julius and others.

As stunning as these new developments are, in Robert’s opinion, these disclosures have obscured both the essence and the essential lessons of the Rosenberg case. In this talk, Robert explores why his parents’ case is still relevant today, as he demonstrates how it provides a crucial warning about the tendencies of our government to manufacture and exploit public fear, to trample civil rights and to manipulate judicial proceedings.

ERASING THE ECHOES OF THE McCARTHY ERA

Attorney Robert Meeropol was six years old when his parents, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were sent to the electric chair in 1953. Their execution by the U.S. Government remains one of the most troubling in American history.

Meeropol uses his parents’ case as an example to demonstrate the dangerous similarities between the McCarthy era during which his parents were targeted, and the perilous eight years that preceded President Obama’s election. Meeropol illustrates the similarities between the post-9/11 crackdowns on civil liberties and the anti-communist fervor of the 1950’s. And he explores whether the new administration is taking sufficient steps restore our commitment to human rights and repair the damage done to our Constitution.

CAPITAL CONSPIRACY: The New Face of the Death Penalty After 9/11
(supporting materials here)

The United States has not had a capital conspiracy case since Robert Meeropol's parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were executed for "Conspiracy to Commit Espionage" at the height of the Cold War. In the wake of 9/11, defendants charged with "Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism" may face execution. In his lecture entitled CAPITAL CONSPIRACY: The New Face of the Death Penalty After 9/11, Attorney Robert Meeropol re-examines government misconduct during his parents' case and demonstrates how the death penalty can be a political tool in a climate in which there is public fear about perceived threats to national security.

REALIZING THE DREAM: Helping Children of Targeted Activists and Targeted Young Activists Today

Just before their execution, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg wrote to their sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol, that they died secure in the knowledge that others would carry on after them. The Rosenberg Fund for Children is the embodiment of that trust. Orphaned at six, kicked out of school, seized by police, it took Robert 40 years to transform horrendous childhood experiences into a positive vision. Robert tells how his experiences inspired the formation of the Fund and shares the stories of the activist families whose lives are enriched by the "progressive social insurance" it provides. He predicts increased demands for the Fund's support in the wake of the post-9/11 crackdown in dissent.