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Pollach, Edith (audio interview #2 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of four interviews with Edith Pollach. The interview consists of one tape. It was conducted by a friend of Pollach's. The audio quality of the interview is good. 2/9/1999
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- 2020-10-21
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- *** File: cbepollach4.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-5:47)... Pollach was not worried that her involvement in the campaign to save the Rosenberg would expose her communist sympathies. The Rosenberg case made ordinary people feel vulnerable to persecution. Although some people refused to get involved, she believed it was important for her to support the Rosenbergs. The night before the Rosenbergs were executed, she participated in a protest in front of the federal building, hoping their sentence would be commuted. (5:47-8:16)... She describes herself as a "boat rocker" in both her work, union, and political activities. She believes it is important to challenge the status quo in a society that doesn't value honesty, openness, and diversity. Even though she made compromises, she believes she has maintained her integrity and principles. (8:16-18:58)... She was involved in organizations that she felt would make a difference in people's lives. Within these organizations, she used her professional knowledge and experience as a social worker to affect change. She recruited people to join community organizations and she joined groups which help people understand how the capitalistic system affects their lives. Pollach believes that critiquing this system and offering alternatives is the responsibility of everyone on the left including socialists. The purpose of her activities with COC, a democratic socialist organization, is to combat the powerlessness that people feel as they confront social and political problems. (18:58-31:01)... COC started in 1992 at the national convention of the CP in Cleveland. A group of people who left the CP formed COC to reflect their beliefs because they disagreed the opinions and programs of the CP. She was a member of the CP for 50 years and it was an emotional experience when she split from the party. End of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Edith Pollach was active in many progressive groups in Long Beach. She was trained as a Social Worker and was interested in helping people make their lives better. Her local activism followed many years of political acidity in the eastern United States and in Los Angeles. This interview was conducted by a friend of Pollach's who believed it was important to record her story. Pollach's activities began in the Depression when she was a student and continued through he support of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. During World War II, she tried to enlist in the military, but was turned down for health reasons. After the war, she supported the Presidential campaign of Henry Wallace in 1948. And she continued fighting for similar causes in Long Beach. TOPICS - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg case; social and political activism; philosophical and political beliefs; Committees of Correspondence; and CP;
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