Historical Irony: From 7/9/05

The song "The House I Live In" was a patriotic favorite of World War II. The melody was written by Earl Robinson, a famous leftist composer who was blacklisted in the 50's. The lyricist was Lewis Allen, whose real name was Abel Meeropol, the same Meeropol who became the adopted father of the Ethel and Julius Rosenberg's boys, Michael and Robert. Abel Meeropol wrote the song. "Strange Fruit," made popular by Billie Holiday. "The House I Live In" was a perennial favorite at both Republican and Communist conventions. http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=2029”>earl robinson siteThe link mentions Earl Robinson performing at Camp Unity. My father once told me he attended Camp Unity as a young man and saw Oscar winning and recently deceased composer Elmer Bernstein perform there. Ethel Rosenberg (formerly Greenglass) grew up on Sheriff Street, near Rivington ( a block now occupied ironically by the elitist NEST school). I've been told by the knowledgeable two bagger Ms. Brandes that Ethel went to PS110. She later attended Seward Park High School. Julius also grew up on the LES. He ran a radio repair business (some say a front) on Houston Street, near Ave. D. Julius grew up "uptown" (north of Houston on Goerck).The Rosenbergs were arrested (and later executed in 1953) for atomic espionage in 1950. At the time they were living in Knickerbocker Village. Their address was 10 Monroe Steet. I grew up living at 14 Monroe Street. All-Star teacher "Eezabel" Torres currently lives, I believe, at 32 Monroe Street. Had the Rosenbergs not been arrested, the younger of the boys, Robert, would have attended PS 177 with me and my good buddy and now high placed Energy Dept official, Richard Karney and his pal Steven Pelly . Robbie Rosenberg/Meeropol probably would have had a crush, like all us guys did, on the beautiful Nancy Bueller. Had the recently deceased Luther Vandross been a few years older he could have been in the same class. Luther grew up in the Al Smith Houses. Nancy later went to Seward Park, which was my father's and Tony Curtis' and Walter Matthau's alma mater. While Richard Karney and I went proudly to Stuyvesant, Steven Pelly went to Seward (he was a very smart guy and should have made Stuyvesant-after all the brilliant Dr. Paul Ringel also didn't). But if he did go to Stuyvesant he wouldn't have met and dated a girl who later became the wife of a very famous LES principal. Whew, I'm breathless!
Listen to a "The House I Live In," sung by Frank Siblano's goomba.
A great read,The Brother: The Untold Story of Atomic Spy David Greenglass