Ted Reich

Class of 1957

During the McCarthy persecutions of the 1950s, like many others, my parents got periodic visits, either at our apartment or on the street from the “feebies” (FBI agents). At a time (perhaps 1954) my mother along with others, was hauled before a hearing of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee’s “road show.” They went from city to city “investigating communist influence in the ‘foreign’ language press.” 

Kinderland served again and again as a “refuge” for kids whose parents were being harassed, threatened, jailed, and deported, while reinforcing and advancing our development as left progressive youth and adults (though not evenly as history has shown).

Through 1953, I was fortunate to find that summer refuge with my grandmother and some like-minded families at a bungalow colony in the Catskills.  When that was no longer possible, my parents opted to enroll me at Kinderland in 1955, but they could not afford more than a 4-week stay.  My stay stretched into '56, '57, '58 (though they struggled to pay for the whole 8-week terms) and then I worked in the Lakeland dining room in 1959.

While I didn't always appreciate the learning experience as a camper, when I looked back on it afterward, I realized that it was invaluable and I would not have gotten it elsewhere.

The learning experience extended far beyond July and August at camp. I cannot thank certain people (Judee Rosenbaum, Mike Stein, Paul McGowan, etc.) enough who mobilized me and dozens of other campers to participate in the developing “progressive” and “radical” movements of the late 50s and 60s. And my parents who steadfastly encouraged me. Some of us have stuck with it since (hooray!) and some have not. Friendships developed at camp (to one extent or another) and some have continued, (again, to one extent or another) in the 60-plus years since. The year-round contacts also kept these relationships going.

Fortunately, with different conditions, we still have this "refuge" as needed. 

The Rosenberg Fund for Children for years has performed an important function as a refuge as well. When I read of the many family and individual situations and the grants they make, I can’t help but think back that my family and I could have found ourselves in a very similar situation. If you haven’t done so, please support their efforts.  https://www.rfc.org/

Ted Reich

4/7/2022