HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Irwin Suall (1924 – 17 August 1998) was an American socialist, union organizer, civil rights activist, investigator and researcher. He was national director of fact-finding for the
Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
from 1967 to 1997 in which capacity he directed that organization's undercover intelligence gathering on extremist groups.


Career

Born in 1924 on East Broadway
n a former hospital now functioning as the Bialystoker Home for the Aging N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
on the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally ...
to immigrantBoland, Mira. ''The Jewish Daily Forward''. New York: August 21, 1998. Vol. CII, Iss. 31,198; p. 14 parents, braham,a Russian emigre and Flora - maiden name Rosen - Poland Suall grew up in
Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsi ...
, and graduated from
Samuel Tilden High School Samuel J. Tilden High School is a New York City public high school in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City. It was named for Samuel J. Tilden, the former governor of New York State and presidential candidate who, although carrying ...
. After briefly attending Brooklyn College, Suall joined the Merchant Marines in 1945, for three years. While a Merchant Marine, he visited Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe living in squalor in Shanghai. This experience left an indelible impression on him. After his stint in the Merchant Marines, Suall studied at
Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
on a
Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
. He graduated with a BA in political science in 1950. It was during his time at Oxford that he met fellow student and future wife Sarah Mountain. Suall joined the Young Peoples Socialist League as a teenager.''The Jewish Daily Forward''. New York: August 21, 1998. Vol. CII, Iss. 31,198; p. 6 When he returned to the U.S. after studying in England, he briefly worked as head of public relations for the
Jewish Labor Committee The Jewish Labor Committee (JLC) is an American secular Jewish organization dedicated to promoting labor union interests in Jewish communities, and Jewish interests within unions. The organization is headquartered in New York City, with local/r ...
, education director for the
International Ladies Garment Workers Union The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), whose members were employed in the Clothing#Gender differentiation, women's clothing industry, was once one of the largest trade union, labor unions in the United States, one of the firs ...
and national secretary for the Socialist Party–Social Democratic Federation. In the latter capacity, he was instrumental in convincing Norman Thomas and others to allow individual members of the Independent Socialist League, sometimes known as Shatchmanites, to join with the party. During that period, Suall was ejected from the Soviet consulate in New York when he and William Lusk tried to present a protest to
Arkady Sobolev Arkady Alexandrovich Sobolev (russian: Арка́дий Алекса́ндрович Со́болев, 1903–1964) was a Russian Soviet diplomat who served as the Soviet ambassador to the United Nations between 1955 and 1960.Staff report (March ...
, the USSR's representative to the United Nation's. They were protesting the execution of
Imre Nagy Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
,
Nicolas Gimes Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–17 ...
and other Hungarians. In 1957, Suall replaced
Herman Singer Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minneso ...
as Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party of America. He would remain in that role until 1962.Suall, Irwin examination, undated, Box: 33, Folder: 45-64. Laird M. Wilcox Papers, RH WL MS 1. University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library. https://archives.lib.ku.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/379179 Accessed April 07, 2021. Suall was a close friend and colleague of civil rights activist and social democrat Bayard Rustin, who served as an important advisor to Martin Luther King. That friendship lead to Rustin inviting Suall to join the organizing committee for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He would join the ADL as director of fact finding in 1967. The Arab–Israeli 1967
Six-Day war The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
had a profound effect on him. He visited
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
shortly thereafter and returned to the U.S. "a changed man" according to ADL head
Abraham Foxman Abraham Henry Foxman (born May 1, 1940) is an American lawyer and activist. He served as the national director of the Anti-Defamation League from 1987 to 2015, and is currently the League's national director emeritus. From 2016 to 2021 he served a ...
. His attitude towards socialism apparently changed, and he "began to realize that his efforts on behalf of democracy and human dignity were part of a larger Jewish struggle". He became fact-finding director of the ADL that year and his work "reinforced his growing awareness of the intimate linkages between extremism, totalitarianism, and anti-Semitism". Meanwhile, Suall was still active in the factional struggles within the Socialist party. He became aligned with a Shactmanite faction against the "new politics" wing led by
Michael Harrington Edward Michael Harrington Jr. (February 24, 1928 – July 31, 1989) was an American democratic socialist. As a writer, he was perhaps best known as the author of '' The Other America''. Harrington was also a political activist, theorist, profess ...
and others. At the Socialist Party's final convention in December 1972, he and
James Glazer James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
presented a majority report urging that the group's name be changed to
Social Democrats, USA Social Democrats, USA (SDUSA) is a small political association of social democrats founded in 1972. The Socialist Party of America (SPA) had stopped running independent presidential candidates and consequently the term "party" in the SPA's na ...
(SDUSA). This action was approved by a 73–34 vote. Afterwards, Harrington resigned his SDUSA membership and founded the
Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC; ) was a democratic socialist organization in the United States. The DSOC was founded in 1973 by Michael Harrington, who had led a minority caucus in the Socialist Party of America and disagr ...
. During his years with the ADl he monitored hate groups of the far left and right. He employed a network of informants inside some of those hate groups. In some cases the information he collected was shared with both FBI and local law enforcement. That information lead to the arrest and prosecution of numerous individuals including the killers of Ethiopean immigrant
Mulugeta Seraw Mulugeta Seraw ( am, ሙሉጌታ ስራው; October 21, 1960 – November 13, 1988) was an Ethiopian student who traveled to the United States to attend college. He was 28 when he was murdered by three white supremacists in November 1988 in Por ...
in Portland and Michael Donald in Mobile, Alabama. Suall then partnered with Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center to sue both the Mobile chapter of the KKK and Tom Metzgar of the
White Aryan Resistance White Aryan Resistance (WAR) is a white supremacist and neo-Nazi organization in the United States which was founded and formerly led by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Tom Metzger. It is based in Warsaw, Indiana, and it is also incorporated a ...
. The suit against Tom Metzgar resulted in the loss of all his broadcasting equipment, effectively ending the WAR as an organization. And the suit against the Mobile, Alabama KKK chapter resulted in the bankrupting of the KKK's last original chapter and the award of their downtown headquarters and property to the mother of the victim. His investigative work into Lyndon LaRouche also contributed to Larouche's conviction and imprisonment for credit card and bank fraud. During his years with the ADL Suall made numerous national TV appearances including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Phil Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael, CBS News and local television in New York City. He was frequently quoted in the NY Times and profiled at the time of his death in an obit titled ''Irwin J. Suall, Fierce Fighter Of Bias for A.D.L., Dies at 73''
Y Times Aug. 20, 1998 Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate Letter (alphabet), letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some auth ...
His work with the ADL was not without controversy. He was sued by the
Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2019) was an American political activist who founded the LaRouche movement and its main organization the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC). He was a prominent conspira ...
lead US Labor Party. Judge Michael Dontzin granted ADL summary judgement and dismissed the lawsuit in April, 1979 and upheld ADL's right to label the group “anti-Semitic.” He was also criticized for expanding the focus of his activities to Black nationalist, Arab and leftist groups as well as far-right organizations. Suall remained as head of the Anti-Defamation Leagues fact-finding department until 1997, when his fight with
emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the a ...
forced him to retire. He died of emphysema in August 1998.


Personal life

While attending Oxford Suall met and married fellow student Sarah
ally An ally is a member of an alliance. Ally may also refer to: Place names * Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France * Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Ally, Haute-Loire, a com ...
Mountain in 1949. For a time she was an assistant to the director of SANE, the world's first nuclear disarmament organization. She died in 1969, but they had a son together, Mark, a New York City musician. Suall's brother Bert and sister-in-law Joan were also active in the Socialist Party and the SDUSA.


Works


''This is Socialism!''
New York: Young People's Socialist League, 1950 * *''Anti-Semitism in the United States, 1972'' New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1972 ASIN B00071C1OK *''Extremism Targets the Prisons'' New York Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1986 *''Shaved for Battle: Skinheads Target America's Youth'' (with David Lowe and
Michael Lieberman Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1987, ASIN B00071ADB8 *''The Skinheads: An Update on Shaved for Battle'' (with David Lowe) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1988 ASIN B00071WQWC *''Young and Violent: The Growing Menace of America's Neo-Nazi Skinheads'' (with David Lowe and
Tal Recanati TAL or Tal may refer to: Acronym * Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (IATA code: TAL), in Tanana, Alaska * TAL – Transportes Aéreos Ltda, the original name of TAC – Transportes Aéreos Catarinense, a Brazilian airline * TAL effector, a famil ...
) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1988, ASIN B00071REI8 *''The 1989 IHR Conference: White-Washing Genocide Scientifically'' (with David Lowe) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1989 *''Skinheads Target the Schools'' (with David Lowe and Tal Recanati) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1989 ASIN: B00071YH1A *''Electronic Hate: Bigotry Comes to TV '' (with
Thomas Halpern Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1991 *''The KKK today: a 1991 status report '' (with
Linda Greenstein Linda R. Greenstein (born June 7, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who has served since 2010 as a member of the New Jersey Senate representing the New Jersey's 14th legislative district, 14th legislative district. She previously serv ...
and Thomas Halpern) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1991, ASIN B0006D5OWU *''Young Nazi Killers: The Rising Skinhead Danger'' (with Thomas Halpern) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1993, ASIN B0006P961I *''The Klan Splits: A Radical Breakaway Fact-Finding Report'' (with Thomas Halpern and
Michael A Sandberg Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
) New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1994 *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suall, Irwin 1924 births 1998 deaths American socialists Executive Secretaries of the Socialist Party of America Members of Social Democrats USA Jewish American community activists Jewish socialists Samuel J. Tilden High School alumni Brooklyn College alumni