Rosenberg Fund for Children
Encyclopedia
The Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC) is a public foundation started in 1990 by Robert Meeropol
and named in honor of his parents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the only two United States
civilians to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage
during the Cold War
.
Orphaned at age 6, Robert was adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol
. They long campaigned to clear their parents name believing them to be innocent. However, The later revelation of classified documents from U.S.S.R. and U.S. archives, as well as a September 2008 statement from their convicted co-conspirator Morton Sobell
, confirm that Julius Rosenberg and Morton Sobell did indeed spy for the Soviet Union. Yet they still believes that execution of their parent was wrong nevertheless. The website for this organisation claim that their espionage was not specifically related to nuclear weapon
s, as was charged by the prosecution in their trials. The extent of involvement of Ethel Rosenberg in espionage is still disputed.
The fund "makes grants to aid children in the U.S. whose parents are targeted, progressive activists" and to "assist youth who themselves have been targeted as a result of their progressive activities." They do not pay for legal expenses. , the organization has given over $3.4 million in grants to more than 400 children since 1990.
Robert Meeropol
Robert Meeropol is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Meeropol was born in New York City. His father Julius was an electrical engineer and a member of the Communist Party. His mother Ethel , a union organizer, was also active in the Communist Party...
and named in honor of his parents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the only two United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
civilians to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Orphaned at age 6, Robert was adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol
Abel Meeropol
Abel Meeropol was an American writer and song-writer, best known under his pseudonym Lewis Allan and as the adoptive father of the young sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.-Biography:...
. They long campaigned to clear their parents name believing them to be innocent. However, The later revelation of classified documents from U.S.S.R. and U.S. archives, as well as a September 2008 statement from their convicted co-conspirator Morton Sobell
Morton Sobell
Morton Sobell is a former spy for the Soviet Union. Sobell was an American engineer working for General Electric and Reeves Electronics on military and government contracts. He was found guilty of spying for the Soviets , and sentenced to 30 years in prison...
, confirm that Julius Rosenberg and Morton Sobell did indeed spy for the Soviet Union. Yet they still believes that execution of their parent was wrong nevertheless. The website for this organisation claim that their espionage was not specifically related to nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, as was charged by the prosecution in their trials. The extent of involvement of Ethel Rosenberg in espionage is still disputed.
The fund "makes grants to aid children in the U.S. whose parents are targeted, progressive activists" and to "assist youth who themselves have been targeted as a result of their progressive activities." They do not pay for legal expenses. , the organization has given over $3.4 million in grants to more than 400 children since 1990.