Becky Edelsohn
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Edelsohn, in contemporary sources often given as Becky Edelson, (1892 – 1973) was an anarchist and hunger striker who was jailed in 1914 for disorderly conduct
during an Industrial Workers of the World
speech. According to The New York Times, she was the first woman to attempt a hunger strike in the United States
.
. Her family came to the United States when she was one or two years old. Later, she spent some time living in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York
. She was discharged from the orphanage on May 14, 1902. As a teenager, she lived in Emma Goldman
's home.
In 1906, after Alexander Berkman
's release from prison, Edelsohn became his close companion and, the following year, his lover. She was arrested in 1906 at a meeting to discuss Leon Czolgosz
. She was arrested again at an International Brotherhood Welfare Association
meeting at Cooper Union
on Labor Day
, 1908. She was arrested again on May 23, 1909 along with Leopold Bergman and charged with disorderly conduct
.
In 1911, Ben Reitman
performed an illegal abortion for her.
Following the Ludlow Massacre
in 1914, Edelsohn helped to lead anti-Rockefeller demonstrations in Tarrytown, New York
. On the first day of demonstrations, Edelsohn, Arthur Caron
, Charles Plunkett, and other anarchists were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after giving speeches at the public square. At her hearing, Edelsohn was specifically cited for calling John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
a "multi-murderer". She was jailed at Blackwell's Island where she refused to accept any nourishment other than water. In a letter smuggled to Alexander Berkman, she wrote, "I am still sticking to my programme, having fasted over twenty-seven days. I am very weak." This letter prompted Edelsohn's friends to raise the $300 necessary to post a bond for her release.
Edelsohn married fellow anarchist Charles Plunkett after World War I. Their marriage lasted nine years. The couple had a son.
Edelsohn died of emphysema
in 1973.
and the New York Ferrer Center
, remembered marching with Edelsohn in a 1972 interview with anarchist historian Paul Avrich
:
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
during an Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
speech. According to The New York Times, she was the first woman to attempt a hunger strike in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Edelsohn was born in 1892 in Odessa, UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Her family came to the United States when she was one or two years old. Later, she spent some time living in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York
Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York
The Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York was a Jewish orphanage in New York City. It was founded in 1860 by the Hebrew Benevolent Society. It closed in 1941, after pedagogical research concluded that children thrive better in foster care or small group homes, rather than in large institutions...
. She was discharged from the orphanage on May 14, 1902. As a teenager, she lived in Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
's home.
In 1906, after Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century....
's release from prison, Edelsohn became his close companion and, the following year, his lover. She was arrested in 1906 at a meeting to discuss Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz was the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley.In the last few years of his life, he claimed to have been heavily influenced by anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman.- Early life :...
. She was arrested again at an International Brotherhood Welfare Association
International Brotherhood Welfare Association
The International Brotherhood Welfare Association was a mutual aid society for hobos founded in 1905-1906. It was the second largest after the Industrial Workers of the World . It was started by James Eads How who had inherited a fortune but chose to live a hobo life...
meeting at Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, 1908. She was arrested again on May 23, 1909 along with Leopold Bergman and charged with disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
.
In 1911, Ben Reitman
Ben Reitman
Ben Lewis Reitman was an American anarchist and physician to the poor . He is best remembered today as radical Emma Goldman's lover.Reitman was a flamboyant, eccentric character...
performed an illegal abortion for her.
Following the Ludlow Massacre
Ludlow massacre
The Ludlow Massacre was an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914....
in 1914, Edelsohn helped to lead anti-Rockefeller demonstrations in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
. On the first day of demonstrations, Edelsohn, Arthur Caron
Arthur Caron
Arthur Caron was a French Canadian anarchist and a member of the Industrial Workers of the World. He masterminded an attempt to assassinate John D. Rockefeller. He was killed along with Carl Hanson, and Charles Berg on July 4, 1914 when his bomb prematurely exploded.-References:...
, Charles Plunkett, and other anarchists were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after giving speeches at the public square. At her hearing, Edelsohn was specifically cited for calling John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
a "multi-murderer". She was jailed at Blackwell's Island where she refused to accept any nourishment other than water. In a letter smuggled to Alexander Berkman, she wrote, "I am still sticking to my programme, having fasted over twenty-seven days. I am very weak." This letter prompted Edelsohn's friends to raise the $300 necessary to post a bond for her release.
Edelsohn married fellow anarchist Charles Plunkett after World War I. Their marriage lasted nine years. The couple had a son.
Edelsohn died of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
in 1973.
Legacy
Maurice Hollod, an anarchist associated with Mother EarthMother Earth (magazine)
Mother Earth was an anarchist journal that described itself as "A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Social Science and Literature," edited by Emma Goldman. Alexander Berkman, another well-known anarchist, was the magazine's editor from 1907 to 1915...
and the New York Ferrer Center
Modern School (United States)
The Modern Schools, also called Ferrer Schools, were United States schools, established in the early twentieth century, that were modeled after the Escuela Moderna of Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, the Catalan educator and anarchist...
, remembered marching with Edelsohn in a 1972 interview with anarchist historian Paul Avrich
Paul Avrich
Paul Avrich was a professor and historian. He taught at Queens College, City University of New York, for most of his life and was vital in preserving the history of the anarchist movement in Russia and the United States....
:
A black flag was flying, and Becky Edelsohn was marching arm in arm with Charles Plunkett. She was a tremendously fiery person, always two steps ahead of Berkman or Goldman. She called for the immediate destruction of the capitalist system — a real propaganda-of-the-deedistPropaganda of the deedPropaganda of the deed is a concept that refers to specific political actions meant to be exemplary to others...
! She was famous for her red stockings, which she was wearing that day. We marched up Fifth Avenue from Union Square to 107th Street. At Fifty-Ninth Street a black limousine was crossing and stopped momentarily for the crowd. Becky opened the door and spat in the face of the plutocrats.