Rosenbergs’ son to present ‘The Case for Exoneration’ on Nov. 10 at UNCA

Press release from UNC Asheville:

Michael Meeropol, the son Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, will present The Case for Exoneration, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 in UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. This talk is free and open to the public.

In one of the most famous cases of the Cold War, the Rosenbergs were charged with passing classified atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets during World War II, were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, and then executed in 1953. The couple’s two young sons Michael and Robert were adopted by Anne and Abel Meeropol, known for writing the iconic anti-lynching song, Strange Fruit.

Michael and Robert Meeropol argue that their parents’ case still has political relevance, and they have been active participants in the long-standing debate over the Rosenbergs’ guilt. Their 1975 book, We Are Your Sons, was reissued in 1986 with additional chapters addressing newer arguments in that debate. In 1995, Michael Meeropol edited The Rosenberg Letters, a compendium of his parents’ prison correspondence.

Now retired from his position as chair and professor of economics at Western New England University, Michael Meeropol continues to speak out about the case, discussing recently released records of grand jury testimony. On October 16, he appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes.

Meeropol’s talk is sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Department of Management and Accountancy, the Offices of the Dean of Social Sciences and the Associate Provost, the Humanities Program and the NEH Professorship, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville, and the university’s Center for Jewish Studies.

For more information, contact UNC Asheville’s Office of Cultural Events and Special Academic Programs, 828.251.6674 or cultural@unca.edu.