Oscar Shaftel and the Menace of McCarthyism

The Oscar Shaftel Papers

The Oscar Shaftel Papers, originally donated by Shaftel to Queens College in 1986 and 1994, document Shaftel’s tenure as a professor at Queens College, including his dismissal and his efforts to reinstate his pension. The bulk of the collection is from 1948 to 1982 and includes correspondence, flyers, memos, printed materials, clippings, transcripts, and copies of declassified documents. The collection provides evidence of Oscar Shaftel’s experience as a professor at Queens College, his time serving in the military during World War II, as well as student activism on campus in the late 1940s and early 1950s. More broadly, the collection provides documentation of the McCarthyism and its effect on the New York City education system. In 2023, Oscar's daughter, Ann Shaftel, donated an additional treasure trove of materials. This large addition - several boxes of correspondence between Shaftel with family members, friends, colleagues, and students -  provides a more personal perspective on Shaftel's life and experience.

Contact qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu for more information or to make an appointment to view the collection at the Queens College Library. 

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