The Joint Committee Against Communism , also known as the Joint Committee Against Communism in New York , was an anti-communist organization during the 1950s.
122-754: Benjamin Schultz of Rochester, New York , had studied under Rabbi Stephen S. Wise at the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. He was ordained as a rabbi in 1931 and served a Reform congregation, Temple Emanu-El in Yonkers, New York . From October 14 to 16, 1947, Schultz published a series of articles in the New York World-Telegram on Communism among Protestant and Catholic churches and Jewish synagogues. He attacked
244-566: A Strong mayor-council form of government since the approval of its current charter in a referendum in 1984. Administrative officers are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. All city legislation is proposed and passed by the council, and subject to a veto by the mayor, unless a majority of two-thirds approved it. The current mayor is Malik Evans , serving since January 1, 2022. Benjamin Gitlow Benjamin Gitlow (December 22, 1891 – July 19, 1965)
366-578: A potboiler for the popular market, with great caution as some of its details are at variance with the same stories told by the same author nearly a decade earlier. Also in 1948, he joined the American Jewish League Against Communism . On May 1, 1950, in Mosinee, Wisconsin , a local American Legion outpost staged a mock communist takeover to illustrate what life under Soviet conquest might be like. Gitlow played
488-795: A retail clerk in a department store in Newark, New Jersey . He helped to organize the Retail Clerks Union , political activity for which he was discharged from his job and blacklisted by the Merchants' Association. In June 1914, Gitlow testified before the US Commission on Industrial Relations on conditions prevalent in US department stores. His testimony included descriptions of mandatory overtime, spying on workers, and quid pro quo sexual harassment . Following his blacklisting from
610-685: A 10-person delegation seeking to appeal the Communist International 's (Comintern) decision to expel Jay Lovestone from the Communist Party. The job of Executive Secretary was turned over to factional ally Robert Minor in the interim. In 1929, communist parties around the world were purged of so-called "Right Oppositions" by the Comintern as the world communist movement lurched towards the revolutionary left. Together with his factional co-thinker Jay Lovestone , Ben Gitlow
732-405: A 2012 bankruptcy. By 2022, the city's population had declined to 209,352 (although the metropolitan area was considerably larger) with 45.1% recorded as White and 38.4% as Black or African American. Although the total population declined, new arrivals continued to move to the city and change its demographic profile. Thousands of Puerto Ricans moved to the city after World War II, and the city became
854-678: A Revolutionary Workers Party the next year. After briefly rejoining the Socialist Party in 1934, Gitlow became disillusioned with radicalism of all shades and emerged as an outspoken anti-communist . In 1939, he publicly rejected the Communist Party in testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities , chaired by Martin Dies, Jr. of Texas . In 1940, Gitlow published his first work of political autobiography , I Confess: The Truth About American Communism . The book
976-532: A Socialist parliamentarian, Ben Gitlow professed a belief in revolutionary Socialism . From its earliest days in 1919, Gitlow was an adherent of the proto-Communist Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party , working closely with renowned radical journalist and war correspondent John Reed . In April 1919, the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party of Local Greater New York established an official weekly newspaper called The New York Communist . Reed
1098-620: A century. On November 8, 1803, three men from Hagerstown, Maryland , purchased a 100-acre (40- ha ) tract from the Pulteney Estate along the Genesee River: Major Charles Carroll, Colonel William Fitzhugh Jr, and Colonel Nathaniel Rochester , the namesake of the city. They chose the site because its three cataracts on the Genesee offered great potential for water power. Beginning in 1811, and with
1220-469: A female householder with no partner present, and 29.0% had a male householder with no partner present. Of all households, 41.3% were made up of individuals, 25.3% had children under 18 living with them, and 9.2% had someone living alone 65 or older. 33.1% of housing units were owner-occupied, and 66.9% were rented. The age distribution was 18.8% under 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 or older. The median age
1342-420: A fundamental change, that is, we would have a complete reorganization of society, that this change would not be a question of reform; that the capitalist system of society would be completely changed and that that system would give way to a new system of society based on a new code of laws, based on a new code of ethics, and based on a new form of government. For that reason, the socialist philosophy has always been
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#17327872048931464-428: A gathering which was infiltrated by a Justice Department spy and raided by police. Gitlow was arrested and jailed in the aftermath, eventually released on bail. Ultimately, only 2 of the delegates to this convention were tried, trade union leader William Z. Foster (freed when the jury failed to agree) and Workers Party Executive Secretary C. E. Ruthenberg , who was convicted but who died before appeals were finalized and
1586-541: A good small room in a modern hotel." Gitlow anticipated a short stay in the facility as the American Civil Liberties Union assured him that it had obtained a verbal commitment from Governor Al Smith that Gitlow would be pardoned expeditiously. On December 11, 1925, Gitlow's first wedding anniversary, he was visited by his wife, who showed him a letter from an ACLU attorney stating that he would be free to leave Sing Sing on parole if he agreed to
1708-584: A large concentration of Polish Americans along with nearby Buffalo, New York. Rochester's Bhutanese and Nepalese communities are among the largest (top 3) in the United States, concentrated primarily in Jones Square and Edgerton with growth fueled by recently arrived migrants and refugees. In addition, Rochester was ranked number 9 in the nation for the largest Italian population in the United States in 2018. Rochester has been reported to have
1830-571: A major destination for refugees in the 21st century. Rochester is located in Upstate New York , on the southern shore of Lake Ontario . The Genesee River bisects the city. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 37.1 square miles (96 km ), of which 35.8 square miles (93 km ) are land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km ) are covered by water (3.42%). Rochester borders
1952-587: A partnership program between the city government and Rochester Coalition for Neighborhood Living, defines 35 neighborhoods in Rochester. Among these are the 14621 Community, 19th Ward, Beechwood, Browncroft, Charlotte , Cobbs Hill, Corn Hill, downtown Rochester , Dutchtown, Edgerton , EMMA (East Main, Mustard & Atlantic Avenue), High Falls, Highland Park, Homestead Heights, JOSANA (Jay-Orchard Street Area), Lincoln Park, Lyell-Otis, Maplewood, Marketview Heights, Mayor's Heights, Monroe Village, NOTA (Neighborhood of
2074-609: A past national commander of the Jewish War Veterans; your own colleague, the Hon. Abraham J. Multer ; Isaac Don Levine ; Eugene Lyons ; Alfred Kohlberg; Morrie Ryskind , of Hollywood; Rabbi David S. Savitz; and Rabbi Ascher M. Yager, leading orthodox rabbis of New York." In 1948, Multer ran for office against ex-CIO general counsel Lee Pressman . Multer used Pressman's communist association against him early on by claiming that he had received his "certificate of election" from
2196-655: A population of 15, the three founders surveyed the land and laid out streets and tracts. In 1817, the Brown brothers and other landowners joined their lands with the Hundred Acre Tract to form the village of Rochesterville. This name was unpopular, and in 1822 it was shortened to Rochester. By 1821, Rochesterville became the seat of Monroe County. In 1823, the Erie Canal aqueduct over the Genesee River
2318-594: A population of 211,328 at the 2020 census . The city forms the core of the larger Rochester metropolitan area in Western New York , with a population of just over 1 million residents. Throughout its history, Rochester has acquired several nicknames based on local industries; it has been known as " the Flour City " and " the Flower City " for its dual role in flour production and floriculture, and as
2440-516: A rare hybrid structure called " kame moraine ". The ice sheets also created Lake Ontario, the Genesee River with its waterfalls and gorges , Irondequoit Bay , Sodus Bay , Braddock Bay , Mendon Ponds , numerous local streams and ponds, the Ridge , and the nearby Finger Lakes . Water to the city is sourced from Hemlock Lake , Canadice Lake , and Lake Ontario. Celebrate City Living,
2562-548: A revolutionary philosophy and people who adhered to the socialist program and philosophy were always considered revolutionists, and I as one who maintain that, in the eyes of the present day society, I am a revolutionist. The attempt of the Gitlow defense to declare the publication of the Left Wing Manifesto an expression of historical analysis rather than an act of practical advocacy was unsuccessful, however. Gitlow
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#17327872048932684-664: A seat on the New York Stock Exchange .) Roy Cohn joined as a member of the board of directors. Anti-communist journalist Isaac Don Levine was also a co-founder. On May 31, 1948, Schultz testified in support of the Mundt-Nixon Bill . In July 1948, Sokolsky mentioned formation of an AJLAC office in Los Angeles. In early 1949, Schultz testified to the Brooklyn Board of Education against
2806-450: A second time on a ticket headed by William Z. Foster . Gitlow reached the summit of his political life as a Communist Party leader shortly after the conclusion of the 1928 campaign, when on March 16, 1929, Gitlow was named to the three-man Secretariat at the helm of the Communist Party, assuming the post of Executive Secretary. His time at the top proved to be momentary, however, as on March 23 he boarded an ocean liner for Moscow as part of
2928-828: A vibrant music industry. It is the site of several museums such as The Strong National Museum of Play and the George Eastman Museum , which houses the oldest photography collection in the world. The Seneca tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy lived around Rochester prior to the American Revolution , and used the area as a hunting ground. Allied with the British, the Seneca were forced to cede or sell most of their land in New York after
3050-477: A vote of 7 to 2, confirming that the publication of the Left Wing Manifesto in The Revolutionary Age did, in fact, constitute a punishable act under the law. As the legal wrangling and backstage politics continued, Ben Gitlow prepared to return to jail. In November 1925, Gitlow was ordered back to Sing Sing Prison by the court to finish his sentence. This would not be "hard time," however. Gitlow
3172-534: Is a lakefront community in Rochester bordering Lake Ontario. It is home to Ontario Beach Park, commonly known as Charlotte Beach, which is a popular summer destination for Rochesterians. A new terminal was built in 2004 for the Rochester-to-Toronto ferry service and was later sold after the ferry ceased operations in 2005. The Port of Rochester terminal still exists, but multiple attempts by the city to make additions have failed since 2016. Corn Hill
3294-430: Is centered on the eponymous street southeast of downtown. It originally functioned as a service street with businesses that catered to wealthy residents who lived on nearby East Avenue. Between 1894 and 1975, it was also home to Park Avenue Hospital. Today, the neighborhood is one of the most desirable in the city, highly valued for its walkability and density of bars, clubs, and restaurants. The city's annual pride parade
3416-610: Is hosted in the neighborhood. The Park Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The South Wedge is a wedge-shaped neighborhood centered on South Avenue between the Genesee River and Interstate 490. It began as the home of several families involved in trades on the Erie Canal. In the 1840s, the Ellwanger and Barry nursery was built on South Avenue, introducing greenery to
3538-528: Is located in the city's old Third Ward, and best known today for the annual Corn Hill arts festival. Many of the city's wealthiest residents lived in the neighborhood during the 19th century, but they relocated to the East End and suburbs after the turn of the century. The neighborhood experienced decline, and much of the Third Ward was demolished for the construction of I-490 in the 1960s. Revival began in
3660-592: Is on imaging and optical science among the industry and universities. The Institute of Optics of the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology have popular imaging programs, and a research hub for photonics has operated in the city since 2015 following federal and state investment. Rochester is also home to the Fortune 500 beverage company Constellation Brands and
3782-439: Is set apart from most of the continental US by comparatively cool, comfortable summers (ranking among the top five coolest summers among large metros alongside San Francisco , Seattle , Portland, Oregon , and neighboring Buffalo ). Autumn features brilliant foliage colors, cooling temperatures and occasionally an excess of rain depending on the year, though precipitation is generally plentiful and dispersed fairly evenly throughout
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3904-482: Is the " white hot ", a variant of the hot dog or smoked bratwurst made by the local Zweigle's company and other companies. Another local specialty is the Garbage Plate , a trademark of Nick Tahou Hots that traditionally includes macaroni salad, home fries, and two hot dogs or cheeseburgers topped with mustard, onions, and their famous meat hot sauce. Many area restaurants feature copies or variations with
4026-1004: The Daily Worker ( CPUSA newspaper), thanks to its condemnation of him.) The Joint Committee Against Communism drew together a coalition of several New York State groups and sub-groups including the American Legion , the Veterans of Foreign Wars , and Catholic War Veterans , and the Veterans Division of AJLAC. In 1954, board members of the committee's core group, AJLAC, included: Alfred Kohlberg (chair), Benjamin Schultz (executive director), Harry Pasternak (treasurer) as well as Bern Dibner , Lawrence Fertig , Theodore Fine, Benjamin Gitlow , Walter R. Hart , Herman Kashins, Eugene Lyons, Norman L. Marks, Morris Ryskind, David S. Savitz, Nathan D. Shapiro , George E. Sokolsky , Maurice Tishman, and Ascher M. Yager. In 1950,
4148-713: The Fortune 1000 company Paychex (Fortune #681) and the supermarket chain Wegmans . The median single-family house price was $ 247,000 in the third quarter of 2023 in greater Rochester, an increase of 10.3% from a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors . The city of Rochester is home to numerous cultural institutions. These include the Garth Fagan Dance, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra ,
4270-543: The Cunningham Car Company , a pioneer automobile maker. German immigrants John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb launched Bausch & Lomb in 1861 and inventor and entrepreneur George Eastman founded Eastman Kodak in 1892. Xerox was founded in Rochester in 1906 as the Haloid Company. In the early 20th century, Rochester became a center of the garment industry, particularly men's fashions. It
4392-738: The Department of Justice during the night of November 7/8, 1919. Gitlow was charged with violation of the New York Criminal Anarchy Law of 1902, which made it a crime to encourage the violent overthrow of government. It was contended that the publication of the Left Wing Manifesto by The Revolutionary Age earlier that year constituted such illegal action. Ben Gitlow's widely publicized trial began in New York City on January 22, 1920, and went to
4514-613: The First Unitarian Church of Rochester , which was designed by Louis Kahn and described by Paul Goldberger as one of "the most significant works of religious architecture of the century". Significant Art Deco buildings include the Cinema Theater and Times Square Building , noted for its 42' tall "Wings of Progress" sculpture. The Midtown Plaza , the nation's first downtown shopping mall, first opened in 1962, and remains partially standing today. Museums in
4636-771: The House Un-American Activities Committee . In late January 1950, the committee formed in response to a call from George Craig , head of the American Legion , when 60 national organizations. The founders of the Joint Committee Against Communism were: Kohlberg, a prominent member of the China Lobby and publisher of Plain Talk magazine, bankrolled the committee. As of July 1949, Rabbi Schultz named AJLAC's executive board members as: "Gen. Julius Klein ,
4758-621: The Industrial Areas Foundation to help the community organize. With the Reverend Franklin Florence , they established FIGHT (Freedom, Integration, God, Honor, Today), which successfully brought pressure to bear on Eastman Kodak to help open up employment and city governance. With industrial restructuring in the later 20th century, Rochester's manufacturing workforce shrank. Kodak, long the city's largest employer, conducted massive layoffs prior to
4880-565: The Maplewood Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The Marketview Heights neighborhood is northeast of downtown Rochester, running east from Union Street just north of Atlantic Ave. It is best known as the location of the Public Market, which first opened in 1905 and offers a variety of groceries and other goods from farms and shops from surrounding areas, primarily on
5002-660: The RIT men's and women's ice hockey teams, and the University of Rochester men's squash team, which has ranked top 5 in Division I. Notable cemeteries include the Victorian-era Mount Hope Cemetery , Holy Sepulchre and Riverside Cemetery . Mount Hope became a popular picnicking destination during the late nineteenth century, and the city began to develop public parks. Rochester's park system
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5124-744: The Rochester City Ballet , Rochester Contemporary Art Center , the Rochester Broadway Theater League , Hochstein School of Music & Dance , the Auditorium Theater, and numerous arts organizations. Geva Theatre Center is the city's largest professional theater. The East End Theater is on East Main Street in the theater district. The Eastman School of Music , one of the top musical institutes in
5246-618: The Sacramento Kings ) were a professional basketball team in Rochester from 1945 to 1957 with roots as an amateur team dating back to 1923. They won the NBA title in 1951 , defeating the New York Knicks in 7 games. Rochester and its surrounding area also has a rich golf history and has hosted numerous professional tournaments on its local golf courses, most recently the 2023 PGA Championship . NCAA Division I teams include
5368-415: The University of Rochester to become the city's top employer in 2005, a title it holds today. Bausch & Lomb moved to Bridgewater, New Jersey, in 2014. The Gannett newspaper company and Western Union were founded in Rochester by Frank Gannett and Hiram Sibley , respectively, but have since moved to other cities. Today, the city's top employers are its educational and medical institutions. After
5490-692: The women's rights movement . Rochester is the birthplace and/or home of many notable companies including Eastman Kodak , Xerox , Bausch & Lomb , Wegmans , Gannett , Paychex , and Western Union , and the region became a global center for science, technology, and research and development. This has been aided by the presence of several internationally renowned universities, notably the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology , and their research programs; these schools, along with many other smaller colleges, have played an increasingly large role in its economy. The city experienced significant population decline due to deindustrialization in
5612-552: The women's suffrage movement . A critical suffragettes' convention was held in 1848 in nearby Seneca Falls, and Rochester was the home of Susan B. Anthony along with other notable Suffragettes such as Abigail Bush and Amy Post . The city itself played host to the Rochester Women's Rights Convention of 1848 . The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , in 1920, which guaranteed
5734-426: The "Brooks Landing" development along the Genesee River. Gentrification has occurred in the 19th Ward and adjacent Plymouth-Exchange area from the conversion of housing stock to student housing for the University of Rochester. Located in the 19th Ward are the Arvine Heights Historic District , Chili–West Historic District , Inglewood and Thurston Historic District , and Sibley–Elmdorf Historic District , listed on
5856-456: The "Imaging Capital of the World" for its association with film, optics, and photography. The city was one of the United States' first boomtowns , initially due to the fertile Genesee River valley which gave rise to numerous flour mills, and then as a manufacturing center, which spurred further rapid population growth. Rochester has also played a key part in US history as a hub for social and political movements, especially abolitionism , and
5978-641: The 1890s, as Rochester expanded, the area rapidly urbanized. By 1930, it was a booming residential area for doctors, lawyers, and other skilled workers. Homes in the originally upper-class neighborhood typically have gumwood trim, leaded glass, fireplaces, hardwood floors, and open porches. In the 1960s, property values fell as the population of Rochester did, the area experienced white flight accelerated by school busing, blockbusting , and race riots downtown, and crime increased, with violence, drug use , and neglected property further diminishing property values. In recent years, neighborhood revitalization has come from
6100-457: The 1950s. Casually employed by the city's major industries, most African Americans in the city held low-pay and low-skill jobs, and lived in substandard housing. Discontent exploded in the three-day 1964 Rochester race riot , which resulted in five deaths, 350 injuries, nearly a thousand arrests, and 204 stores looted or damaged. In the wake of the riot, the Rochester Area Churches, together with black civil rights leaders, invited Saul Alinsky of
6222-440: The Arts), North Winton Village, Northland-Lyceum, Park Avenue, Plymouth-Exchange, South Wedge, Susan B. Anthony, Swillburg, Upper Falls, Upper Monroe, and Upper Mount Hope. The 19th Ward is a southwest neighborhood bordered by Genesee Street, West Avenue, and the Erie Canal, and is across the river from the University of Rochester. The neighborhood is one of the largest in Rochester. Now known by its slogan "Urban by Choice", in
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#17327872048936344-435: The CP (MG) in October 1929. At the 1st National Conference of the organization, held July 4–6, 1930 in New York City, Gitlow was elected Secretary of the Lovestone political organization, a role in which he continued at least through 1932. In the fall of 1930, Gitlow was sent on a month-long tour of the United States on behalf of the Lovestoneites, taking him to Detroit , Chicago , and Superior, Wisconsin , before returning to
6466-480: The Genesee Riverway Trail, which runs for the river's entire length through the city. Current city facilities include 12 full-time recreation centers, 48 playgrounds, two artificial ice rinks, 74 softball/baseball fields, 42 tennis courts, four soccer fields, and 45 outdoor basketball courts. Rochester is governed by a mayor serving as chief executive of city government and a city council consisting of four district members and five at-large members. Rochester has had
6588-399: The Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order, a member of the Communist-controlled International Workers Order ; a week later, the board followed his recommendation and banned the group from classrooms. In March 1949, he publicly opposed a Soviet delegation led by Dmitri Shostakovich from entering the United States. In July 1949, Schultz also attacked Paul Robeson during the latter's hearings before
6710-485: The Joint Committee Against Communism called on the New York Board of Education to ban the New York City Teachers Union (TU), which since the 1930s come under the control of the Communist Party USA . (Former TU vice president Dr. Bella Dodd would testify before Congress about Communist control of the TU later in the 1950s.) That same year, the committee helped keep actress Jean Muir banned from radio, soon after her name had appeared in Red Channels . Also in that year,
6832-404: The Left Wing Manifesto, is a broad analysis of conditions, economic conditions, and historical events in the world today. It is a document based upon the principles of socialism from their earliest inception. The only thing that the document does is to broaden those principles in the light of modern events.... The socialists have always maintained that the change from capitalism to socialism would be
6954-422: The Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party, Local Boston, The Revolutionary Age , edited by Louis C. Fraina . This publication was moved to New York and thereafter recognized as the "National Organ of the Left Wing Section, Socialist Party," with the former New Yorker Fraina continuing as editor and Ben Gitlow taking over as business manager. John Reed was named the editor of the a new monthly labor magazine of
7076-438: The Left Wing Section, called Voice of Labor . Ben Gitlow also served as business manager of this publication, which was adopted by the Communist Labor Party in the fall, shortly before its termination due to lack of finances. For his publicized connection on the staff of The Revolutionary Age Benjamin Gitlow was targeted for arrest during the coordinated raid of the communist movement conducted by New York state authorities and
7198-446: The National Register of Historic Places. The Browncroft neighborhood is built on the former nursery grounds of the Brown Brothers nursery, between the town of Brighton and Winton Road. Many Tudor and Colonial houses are contained within, and the business district situated on Winton Road has a mix of restaurants and shops. The Browncroft Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Charlotte
7320-715: The Reverend Dr. Harry F. Ward of Union Theological Seminary , Abraham Cronbach of Hebrew Union College , and Stephen S. Wise by name. On March 15, 1948, Schultz announced in the New York Times the founding of the American Jewish League Against Communism, Inc. (AJLAC). AJLAC claimed to side with an "overwhelming majority of American Jewry" against Communism. It praised David Dubinsky , Abraham Cahan , Walter Winchell , and David Lawrence . Schultz declared, "Zionism and communism are incompatible." Headquartered at 220 West Forty-second Street, AJLAC sought to remove "all Communist activity in Jewish life, wherever it may be." AJLAC national organizing members included: (Pasternak had
7442-429: The Rochester area include the Genesee Country Village and Museum , George Eastman Museum , Memorial Art Gallery , Rochester Museum and Science Center , Strasenburgh Planetarium , Susan B. Anthony House , New York Museum of Transportation , Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum , and The Strong National Museum of Play . In 2023, plans were announced for a museum dedicated to the life of Frederick Douglass in
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#17327872048937564-437: The Tsar mistreated the people. I thrilled at the stories of the underground movement, of the conspiring activities, how deeds of violence against the Tsarist oppressors were planned... The stories of personal experiences when raids were made by the secret police upon revolutionists' homes held me spellbound. I anticipated every incident that would be related. I also listened to discussions, very idealistic in their essence, in which
7686-411: The United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. Douglass lived in Rochester until his home was destroyed in a fire in 1872, and a historical marker was erected at the site on South Avenue. Many other prominent abolitionists operated in the area and operated on the Underground Railroad , such as Thomas James and Austin Steward . Around the same time, the nearby Finger Lakes region was the birthplace of
7808-546: The University of Rochester, major employers in these fields include Rochester Regional Health , the Rochester Institute of Technology , and Carestream Health . In recent years, a high technology industry has grown in Rochester, fostered in part by collaborations between private startup enterprises and the local higher learning institutions. Other organizations such as High Tech Rochester provide local startups with mentorship, office space, and other resources. Like its legacy manufacturers, Rochester's modern technological focus
7930-420: The area around Lyell Avenue has been a target for the formation of a designated Little Italy neighborhood, although few Italian Americans live there today. The neighborhood is known for struggling with a high crime rate. Residents have pursued a number of strategies to improve the neighborhood in recent years, including the construction of housing for the homeless. The neighborhood features Edgerton Park, which
8052-422: The as part of the Second Great Awakening , including a particularly notable revival led by Charles Grandison Finney which inspired local social reform movements. During the mid-19th century, as the center of the wheat-processing industry moved west with population and agriculture, the city became home to an expanding nursery business, giving rise to the city's second nickname, the Flower City. Nurseries ringed
8174-426: The city, the most famous of which was started in 1840 by immigrants George Ellwanger from Germany and Patrick Barry from Ireland. Shoemaking also became a major local industry as the city began to industrialize. In 1847, Frederick Douglass founded The North Star , an abolitionist newspaper, in Rochester. A former slave and an antislavery speaker and writer, he gained a circulation of over 4,000 readers in
8296-406: The city. Rochester hosts a number of cultural festivals every year. The Lilac Festival at Highland Park is attended by hundreds of thousands annually. Established after an 1898 gathering, it features the largest collection of lilac varieties in North America, a parade, and dozens of musical acts and food vendors. The Rochester International Jazz Festival was established in 2002 and is one of
8418-405: The committee declared that "it is up to the professors to prove their fitness to teach in the face of its accusations." In a speech in Lansing, Michigan, Schulz denounced both former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), a group she supported and which he called "an organizational extension of that lady's personality... more dangerous than Communism." By 1953,
8540-441: The committee scared Bing Crosby away from recording the song "Old Man Atom", written by Vern Partlow of the Los Angeles Daily News and finally recorded by Sam Hinton . (The song's lyrics included the lines, " Einstein 's scared, and when Einstein's scared, I'm scared.") Partlow was a member of People's Songs , a left-wing publisher based in New York City and founded by folk-singer Pete Seeger . In 1951, Schultz attacked
8662-407: The committee's original members in AJLAC had become known among leading Jewish "anti-Reds" and included: Eugene Lyons, Isaac Don Levine , David Lawrence , George Sokolsky, Benjamin Mandel , Barney Balaban , Rabbi Ben Schultz, Maurice Tishman, and Victor Riesel . In 1954, the committee honored Roy Cohn with a dinner at the Astor Hotel ; US Senator Joseph McCarthy was the principal speaker at
8784-478: The conditions of his release. Gitlow considered this an unfortunate turn of events, as he sought freedom to continue his political activities without the constraint of parole supervision and the threat of a rapid return to jail. Gitlow's wife received word by telephone at that time that his decision on whether to accept a parole was moot, however, as the Governor had decided to grant him a full pardon. Freed from jail
8906-492: The course of the past 70 years Rochester has become a major center for immigration, particularly for arrivals from Eastern and Southeastern Europe , sub-Saharan Africa , and the Caribbean . Rochester had the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans of any major city in the United States in 2013, one of the four largest Turkish American communities, one of the largest Jamaican American communities in any major U.S. city and
9028-566: The dinner. Also in 1954, Rabbi Schultz spoke before an American Legion gathering in Boston. In 1955, the committee honored Myers Lowman for exposing communist influence. AJLAC honored Ruth Shipley with an award for "a lifetime of service to the American people." In 1950, TIME magazine lumped the Joint Committee Against Communism and its founder Benjamin Schultz with the newsletter Counterattack and its founder Theodore Kirkpatrick. It
9150-491: The early 1920s. The Park Commission also constructed new facilities in all parks, filling them with playgrounds, pavilions, and sports facilities. Modern additions to the park system include Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, Turning Point Park, and Tryon Park, which are located on former industrial and urban sites, in contrast to the early parks. Most of the city's parks lie on the Genesee River and can be accessed by
9272-439: The early 19th century, the area was known as Castle Town, after Castle Inn, a tavern run by Colonel Isaac Castle. By the early 1820s, however, the area was overshadowed by developments in the north that would become downtown Rochester. Due to a tumultuous bend in the Genesee, the area was home to skilled boatsmen who assisted boats traveling north to Rochester and the area was consequently known during this time as "The Rapids". In
9394-672: The east coast. Throughout the first 5 years of its existence the Lovestone organization continued to seek accommodation with the regular Communist Party. Gitlow's own views had gradually changed, however. In May 1933 he and Lazar Becker split from the Lovestoneites to found the Workers Communist League , which in turn merged with a group around B.J. Field to form the Organization Committee for
9516-553: The family. Guests to the family home told stories about their personal and political experiences in Tsarist Russia. Gitlow later recalled this experience as formative to his own political development: I would listen intently to the adventures of the Russian revolutionary leaders, of their experiences with the police, the days and years spent in prisons and their exile to the wastes of Siberia. I would grow indignant hearing how
9638-420: The first time since the 1950 Census . As of the 2020 Census, 38.0% of Rochester residents were non-Hispanic Black, 33.0% were non-Hispanic White, 19.8% were Hispanic/Latino, 3.9% were Asian, 0.2% were Native American or Pacific Islander, and 5.1% were mixed or other. In 2020, there were 91,500 households, of which 18.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% were unmarried co-habitating couples, 42.3% had
9760-441: The former Lehigh Valley Railroad station on the Genesee River. The Ragú brand of pasta sauce used to be produced in Rochester. Some of the original facility still exists and produces products for other labels (including Newman's Own) as Private Label Foods. Rochester was also the original home of French's Mustard, whose address was 1 Mustard Street. Rochester has several professional sports teams: The Rochester Royals (now
9882-405: The jury on February 5. Gitlow addressed the jury in his own defense in the case, saying: I am charged in this case with publishing and distributing a paper known as The Revolutionary Age , in which paper was printed a document known as the Left Wing Manifesto and Program. It is held that that document advocates the overthrow of government by force, violence, and unlawful means. The document itself,
10004-856: The largest jazz festivals in the United States. It takes place in late June at dozens of clubs, concert halls and free outdoor stages throughout Downtown Rochester , regularly drawing over 200,000 visitors. Other notable annual festivals in Rochester include the Rochester International Film Festival in June, the Corn Hill Arts Festival in July, and the Rochester Fringe Festival in September. One food product Rochester calls its own
10126-684: The largest per capita deaf population in the United States by the New York Times because it is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf . A 2012 report by the NTID concluded 3.7% of the Rochester metropolitan area is deaf or hard-of-hearing, compared to a national rate of 3.5%. Rochester has the largest deaf and hard-of-hearing population per capita when analyzing the working-age population, but may not have
10248-407: The largest per capita deaf population among all cities, due to deafness being much more prevalent in the elderly. Like many Rust Belt cities, Rochester was traditionally a manufacturing center, home to companies such as Bausch & Lomb , Kodak , and Xerox . In the 21st century, deindustrialization has occurred. Xerox and Kodak each laid off thousands of workers in the 1990s and 2000s, causing
10370-627: The late 1960s, as several of the Victorian homes in the neighborhood were restored by the Genesee Landmarks Foundation. In 1969 the Corn Hill arts festival was held and became an annual feature. The Third Ward Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Edgerton neighborhood is in the city's northwest quadrant, along Lake Avenue. Historically an Italian-American neighborhood,
10492-567: The late 20th century, although less severely than its Rust Belt peers. The Rochester metropolitan area is the third-largest regional economy in New York, after New York City and Buffalo-Niagara Falls . Rochester is also known for its culture; in particular, the Eastman School of Music , one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world, and the Rochester International Jazz Festival anchor
10614-464: The nation, and its auditorium are also within the East End neighborhood. The Eastman Theatre is host to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and other musical/drama events.The Rochester Association of Performing Arts is a non-profit organization that provides educational theater classes to the community. Several churches are among Rochester's architectural features, including Asbury First United Methodist Church , St. Joseph's Church and Rectory , and
10736-410: The neighborhood and drawing tourists. Frederick Douglass lived in a house in the neighborhood. The area fell on hard times after World War II, when residents moved to the suburbs and several homes and businesses were abandoned. The South Wedge Planning Committee was established in 1973 to revitalize the neighborhood. Today, the neighborhood is a hub of small businesses. The South Wedge Historic District
10858-526: The next day, Gitlow arrived by train to a packed Grand Central Station, where he received a rousing hero's welcome from the assembled party members and friends. In 1926 , Gitlow ran on the ticket of the Workers Party of America for Governor of New York . In 1928, Gitlow was once again named the candidate of the Workers Party of America for Vice President of the United States, running for
10980-576: The participants showed how Socialism would transform the world, and to arguments over methods of how Socialism would be achieved. In later years, his mother achieved some notice as an important communist women's leader, serving as Secretary of the Women's Committee of the Workers Party of America in 1924. However, she resigned from the party in 1930 and became a bitter opponent of the Stalin regime until her death in 1940. Gitlow studied law while working as
11102-674: The party and he was elected a delegate to the New York state convention of the SPA in 1910, the year after his joining. In the fall of 1917, Gitlow was elected on the Socialist ticket to the New York State Assembly (Bronx Co., 3rd D.), and sat in the 141st New York State Legislature . He was one of 10 Socialists elected to the Assembly of 1918, all of them from New York City. Despite (or perhaps because of) his two years as
11224-545: The reputation of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and US Secretary of Defense General George C. Marshall . That same year, conservative journalist Westbrook Pegler wrote a supportive syndicated article called "Let Me Introduce Rabbi Benjamin Schultz." In 1952, the committee honored US Senator Joseph McCarthy with a dinner at the Astor Hotel . That same year, the committee named 18 college professors as "politically objectionable" and called for legislation against them;
11346-480: The retail sales industry, Gitlow worked briefly as a cutter in the garment industry before entering the world of radical journalism in 1919. Progressive Era Repression and persecution Anti-war and civil rights movements Contemporary As soon as he turned 18 and became eligible for membership, Ben Gitlow joined the Socialist Party of America . Gitlow was a committed and active member of
11468-602: The right of women to vote, was known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment because of her work toward its passage, which she did not live to see. Anthony's home is a National Historic Landmark known as the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House . Rochester saw an expansion of new industries in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Irish immigrant James Cunningham founded the carriagemaker James Cunningham, Son and Company . James Cunningham and Sons later founded
11590-500: The role of General Secretary of the "United Soviet States of America", while ex-communist Joseph Zack Kornfeder played the new commissar of the newly renamed town of "Moskva". A Soviet flag flew in front of the American Legion outpost. Ben Gitlow's final pamphlets, written in the early 1960s, were published by fundamentalist preacher Billy James Hargis 's Christian Crusade Ministries, an organization committed to stopping
11712-583: The sentence imposed. From May 1923 until early in 1924, Gitlow — a devoted partisan of the party faction headed by C. E. Ruthenberg and an opponent of the faction headed by William Z. Foster — was named the editor of the Workers' Party's Yiddish language daily, the Morgen Freiheit , this despite the American-born and educated Gitlow's faltering familiarity with the language. The appointment
11834-404: The southern edge of the ice mass. This created a line of hills, including (from west to east) Mt. Hope, the hills of Highland Park, Pinnacle Hill, and Cobb's Hill. Because the sediment of these hills was deposited into a proglacial lake, they are stratified and classified as a " kame delta ". A brief retreat and readvance of the ice sheet onto the delta deposited unstratified material there, creating
11956-468: The southern shores of Lake Ontario), ranking among the snowiest large cities on earth and occasionally setting records for annual snowfall among large US metros. The 30-year annual average snowfall is just above 100 in (2.5 m). Spring sees plentiful rain with the rising temperatures, and occasional late snowstorms depending on the year. Summers are warm and sunny; there are occasional short periods of high heat and humidity but in general, Rochester
12078-444: The surrounding towns to arrive at its present borders. The population reached 62,386 in 1870, 162,608 in 1900, and 295,750 in 1920. By 1950, the population had reached a high of 332,488. The surge in new arrivals, along with increased industrialization , resulted in the city becoming a hotbed of labor activism. From the 1920s and continuing into the post-war era Rochester grew into a power center for newly formed industrial unions. It
12200-487: The towns of Irondequoit to the north and northeast, Brighton to the southeast and south, Chili to the southwest, Gates to the west, and Greece to the northwest. Rochester's landscape was formed by the ice sheets during the Pleistocene epoch. The retreating ice sheets reached a standstill at what is now the southern border of the city, melting at the same rate as they were advancing, depositing sediment along
12322-784: The war, the city began engaging in urban renewal projects to revitalize downtown, including the construction of Midtown Plaza and freeways like the Inner Loop , and the demolition of the Front Street neighborhood. By the 1970s, the city experienced highway revolts against new projects, and in the 2010s, the city began filling in the Inner Loop to restore older neighborhoods. In 1950, the Census Bureau reported Rochester's population as 97.6% White and 2.3% Black. Rochester's black population tripled to more than 25,000 during
12444-661: The war. The area now occupied by Rochester was ceded in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase of 1788. As a reward for their loyalty to the British crown, the Iroquois were given a large land grant on the Grand River in Canada. Rochester was founded shortly after by a wave of English-Puritan-descended immigrants from New England , who were looking for new agricultural land. They were the dominant cultural group in Rochester for over
12566-420: The weekends. In the late twentieth century, the neighborhood experienced a severe decline, and roughly half of residents lived below the poverty line in 2000. Public investment was made in the neighborhood after 2008 to implement a number of community proposals. A second round of proposals are being explored currently for the planned removal of the Inner Loop in the southern end of the neighborhood. Park Avenue
12688-571: The word "plate" commonly used as a general term. Chicken Francese was first popularized by Rochester's Italian American community. The Genesee Brewing Company is headquartered in Rochester, where it holds an annual December tradition of assembling a tower of beer kegs in the shape of a Christmas tree. Other local franchises include Abbott's Frozen Custard , Bill Gray's , DiBella's , and Tom Wahl's . Dinosaur Bar-B-Que , which originated in Syracuse, also operates its second franchise downtown in
12810-399: The year. As of the 2020 United States census , the population of Rochester was 211,328. Like most Rust Belt cities, the city has experienced a sustained population decline over the last 60 years. In 2020, for the first time in 200 years, Rochester dropped to the fourth most populous city in the state behind Yonkers . However, in 2020, an increase in the city's population was reported for
12932-516: Was 32.9. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. According to 2020 American Community Survey estimates, The median income for a city household was $ 37,395, and for a family was $ 43,873. Males had a median income of $ 30,379, versus $ 28,260 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,916. About 25.5% of families and 30.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 48.2% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over. Although losing population since 1950, over
13054-524: Was a prominent American socialist politician of the early 20th century and a founding member of the Communist Party USA . At the end of the 1930s, Gitlow turned to conservatism and wrote two sensational exposés of American communism, books which were very influential during the McCarthy period. Gitlow remained a leading anti-communist up to the time of his death. Benjamin Gitlow
13176-623: Was born on December 22, 1891, in Elizabethport, New Jersey . His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire ; his father, Lewis Albert Gitlow, moved to the United States in 1888, followed by his mother, Katherine, in 1889. In the United States, his father worked part-time for insufficient hours in various factories, while his mother helped the impoverished family to make ends meet by stitching piecework at home for garment factories. Radicalism seems to have run deeply in
13298-622: Was completed, connecting the city to the Hudson River to the east. New commerce from the canal turned the village into America's first boomtown . By 1830, Rochester's population had grown to 9,200, and in 1834, it was rechartered as a city. Rochester was first known as "the Young Lion of the West", and then as the "Flour City". By 1838, it was the largest flour-producing city in the United States. A series of religious revivals occurred in
13420-501: Was controversial and widely noticed, pushing Gitlow into the public eye as a leading opponent of American communism. The book remains an important primary document for the study of American communism in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1948, Gitlow followed his 1940 memoir with a steamier retelling of old tales called The Whole of Their Lives: Communism in America . Non-specialists should use the historical accounts in this later book, written as
13542-418: Was convicted of the charge against him and on February 11, 1920, was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison. He served over two years at Sing Sing prison before being released on bail related to his filing of a writ of error . Gitlow's appeal motion was ultimately granted on December 13, 1922, followed by further hearings by the state. Following his release from prison on bail in the spring of 1922, Ben Gitlow
13664-469: Was expelled from the party as purported supporters of Nikolai Bukharin in the USSR in opposition to the hardline faction of Joseph Stalin . The expelled communists followed Lovestone into a new organization, the so-called Communist Party (Majority Group) , which actually included a small fraction of the membership of the regular Communist Party. Gitlow was named a member of the governing National Council of
13786-451: Was immediately transferred to a new section of the prison located on a hill, a much more comfortable facility than that in which he had previously been confined. Gitlow was assigned to a cleaning detail that occupied only about one hour of his time. The cells had fresh air, a comfortable mattress, hot water in the basin, and clean, smoothly painted steel walls. Gitlow later recalled that "had a bath been included, it would have been equivalent to
13908-566: Was initially designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1890s. Olmsted intended to preserve natural landscapes for the city residents to enjoy. The system included four major parks: Genesee Valley Park , Highland Park , Maplewood Park, and Seneca Park, the last of which is today home to the Seneca Park Zoo . The park system was expanded in the early twentieth century with Cobb's Hill Park and Durand Eastman Park in 1908, Edgerton Park in 1911, and Ontario Beach Park in
14030-605: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, and the Gregory Tract Historic District was listed in 2022. Rochester lies in the humid continental climate zone ( Köppen : Dfa ) and has four distinct seasons. Winters are cold (temperatures drop to 0 °F (−18 °C) on 4.2 nights annually). Like much of the eastern Great Lakes, Rochester is very cloudy and overcast in winter. Rochester normally receives heavy snow in winter (primarily lake effect snow resulting from its location on
14152-415: Was made a full-time employee of the Communist Party of America. The governing Central Executive Committee named him as Industrial Organizer (party organizer in the unions) for a large area which stretched from New York City to Philadelphia and which encompassed the entire New England region. He was elected as a delegate to the Communist Party's ill-fated August 1922 convention held at Bridgman, Michigan ,
14274-504: Was named the editor of the new publication, with Maximilian Cohen handling the day-to-day operations of the publication as its business manager. Effective with the June 14, 1919, issue, Max Cohen exited the scene and Ben Gitlow assumed the post of business manager. Following the Left Wing National Conference in June 1919, Reed's New York Communist was merged with the older and better established newspaper of
14396-462: Was once home to most of the city's professional sports teams. Maplewood is located in the northwest quadrant, centered around Lake Avenue and Maplewood Park. Eastman Business Park is located on its north edge. The neighborhood once contained both mansions for the wealthy and worker housing for nearby factories like Kodak's. Many of the neighborhood's old mansions have been converted to multi-family housing. Due to its diverse architectural heritage,
14518-520: Was one of the very few American cities where the labor movement was powerful enough to mount a successful general strike when in 1946 an estimated 50,000 workers across multiple sectors walked off in support of hundreds of city employees who had been fired for attempting to unionize. During World War II , Rochester factories produced a variety of goods for the war effort, including fuel tanker ships, optical equipment, and radio proximity fuses, amounting to US$ 1,200,000,000 of military orders. Following
14640-524: Was political in nature and Gitlow was removed from the paper as soon as the Foster faction achieved majority control of the party apparatus. In 1924, Gitlow was named the candidate of the Workers Party of America for Vice President of the United States. Three years after his release on bail, on June 8, 1925, the US Supreme Court upheld his conviction in the case of Gitlow v. New York , by
14762-606: Was the base of Bond Clothing Stores , Fashion Park Clothes , Hickey Freeman , and Stein-Bloch and Co. The Erie Canal was rerouted south of Rochester by 1918 to allow widening as part of the Barge Canal 's construction. The short-lived Rochester subway was constructed in the abandoned canal bed and operated from 1927 to 1956. The dawn of the 20th century in Rochester saw rapid growth, driven by waves of immigrants arriving from Germany, Italy, Poland, and elsewhere. The city also grew in area, annexing suburban neighborhoods from
14884-407: Was the committee's 1952 attack on actress Jean Muir that first brought it to public attention. Rochester, New York Rochester ( / ˈ r ɒ tʃ ɛ s t ər , - ɪ s -/ ROTCH -ess-tər, -iss- ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Monroe County . It is the fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with
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