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Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism

Oscar in his office.

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This image gallery represent a small selection of digitized items from the Oscar Shaftel Papers. Queens College Special Collections and Archives will pursue funding to digitize and catalog the collection more comprehensively. See the finding aid for a complete description of the collection.
Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism Oscar Shaftel was one of the original faculty members when Queens College opened its doors in 1937. He was beloved by students and known for his meritorious service as a member of the United States Air Force during World War II.

In 1953 he was one of three Queens College faculty members fired for citing the Fifth Amendment and refusing to answer questions about Communist affiliation in academia before the Senate Internal Security Committee. This McCarthyistic purge had long-lasting repercussions for Queens College, New York State, and more personally, Shaftel’s family. Through it all, Shaftel never gave up the fight for restitution, which he finally won thirty years later.

Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism shines a light on this dark and debilitating chapter in American history, as well as the heroic fight waged by Shaftel and others for democratic, First Amendment rights. This digital exhibit also publicizes unique resources held by Queens College Special Collections and Archives that tell this story.

Use the blue buttons on the bottom of each page to follow the narrative, or access the table of contents from the menu at the top of each page.
Who is Oscar Shaftel? Oscar Shaftel was one of the original faculty members when Queens College first opened its doors in 1937, hired to teach English. He served in the United States Air Force from 1942-1946, and was awarded the PCS Award for meritorious service. He served as chairman of the Queens Chapter of the College Teachers Union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. As a faculty member at Queens College, he served as an advisor to the student newspaper The Crown.

Along with professors Dudley Straus and Vera Shlakman, Shaftel was fired in 1953 after he cited the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions about Communist affiliation in academia before the Senate Internal Security Committee. The Board of Higher Education (now Board of Trustees of CUNY) cited New York City Charter, § 903 – which was adopted in 1936 and took effect in 1938 – as grounds for dismissal. The charter was designed to eliminate from public employment individuals who refused to answer legally authorized inquiries as to the "official conduct of any officer or employee of the city . . . on the ground that his answer would tend to incriminate him." Shaftel appealed the decision in 1959, but was unsuccessful.

After he was fired from Queens College in 1953, Shaftel worked as a freelance writer until he was hired by the Pratt Institute in 1963. The Supreme Court found the Feinberg Law unconstitutional in 1967 in Keyishian v. Board of Regents. Additionally, section 903 of the New York City Charter was declared unconstitutional in 1969.

Shaftel returned to Queens College in 1973 as an adjunct professor. In 1982, he and several other teachers won a settlement against CUNY to reinstate their pensions.

According to the New York Times obituary (5/4/2000), "In 1982, 14 years after the last of the laws used to fire him was ruled unconstitutional, Dr. Shaftel was finally given a city pension. He received $151,695. At a news conference, he was asked whether he felt he had regained his honor. He looked out into the lights and said quietly, ''I never lost my honor.''"

Shaftel donated his papers to the Queens College Library in two installments (1987 and 1994). His daughter, Ann Shaftel, donated additional materials in 2023.

Shaftel passed away on May 10, 2000 at the age of 88. The New York Times obituary is available online.