User:Lazarkl

I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1944. Both of my parents were active in the Jewish labor movement. My mom, who was born in Philadelphia, led the first female clerical workers strike - at least the first in Philadelphia. My dad was born in Vilna (now Lithuania) in 1880, at that time part of Tsarist Russia. He was involved in the anti-Tsarist revolutionary movement and the anti-German underground during the First World war. He was the Bundist ([socialist]) vice-president of the Vilna kehillah after the war. After doing a bit of wandering, he wound up in the United States in 1927, teaching in the Arbeiter Ring schools until his death in 1962.

As for me, I am now retired. I spent the last 40 years working in civil rights law enforcement. I have some expertise in discrimination and hate crimes, and, for the past two years, worked with local, state and federal agencies around issues of terrorism and backlash discrimination. I have also been married for 36 years to a brilliant scholar and teacher. We have three sons, three grandsons and a granddaughter.

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Postscript: the author, Lazar Kleit, passed away in September 2012. Two obituaries of Mr. Kleit were published - one in Philadelphia's Jewish Exponent, "Lazar Kleit, 67, Head of City’s Human Relations Commission," dated September 27, 2012 and online here: http://www.jewishexponent.com/lazar-kleit-67-head-city%E2%80%99s-human-relations-commission and one the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Lazar Kleit, 67; ran human relations body," dated September 19, 2012 and online here: http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-19/news/33926911_1_human-relations-graduate-student-administrative-assistant