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A Salute to Moe Fishman

By Bill Davis

Moe Fishman, according to Peter Carroll, Chief of the board of governors of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, spent his entire life holding the Brigade together and led the fight to have the label of subversive organization removed. In 1950, Harry Truman had his Attorney General label the organization subversive, requiring them to register with the government. This led to the mass resignation of the entire executive committee of the Brigade. Moe Fishman stepped in to become secretary-treasurer and began a two decade battle to reverse the subversive label.

After a federal court removed the subversive label in the 1970's, Mr. Fishman wrote a colleague that the change might not be so good. He wryly suggested doing something subversive so as not to appear irrelevant to rebellious youth.

From a progressive veterans point of view, Moe and the forty surviving members of the Brigade, need do little to enhance their lives for us. Their decision to fight in Spain, earning them the moniker of "prematurely anti-fascist," lives forever. We last saw Moe along the parade route of the Labor led anti-Iraq war march in New York City. He and the other Brigade members present were saluted by the veterans contingent as Moe is saluted by us all today.