Papers regarding Abraham Feingold's Prosecution For Alleged Communist Sympathies

In May of 1950, Abraham Feingold, a mathematics teacher at Manual Training High School in Brooklyn, was suspended from his job for refusing to answer a question, submitted by the superintendent of schools to all New York City school teachers, as to whether he was or had ever been a communist. Feingold was one of eight New York City teachers who refused to answer the question. All were suspended by the superintendent of schools. In the fall of that year, the suspensions were upheld, and on appeal by the State Education Commissioner, Abraham Feingold and the seven other defendants were permanently removed from the New York school system.

In addition to refusing to answer the question as to past or present communist affiliation, all eight defendants were Jewish, and charges of anti-Semitism on the part of the superintendent of schools were prominent throughout the controversy.

Abraham Feingold was born in Ukraine on March 20, 1900 and moved to the United Sattes when he was 9 years old. He received his BA from COlumbia Univeristy, and his Master's of Education from Teachers College of Columbia University. He passed away on SPetember 14, 1970.