Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin was a prominent social activist known for his influential role during the 1960s and 1970s. Born on July 14, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he grew up in a politically active family, which helped shape his values and beliefs. After studying sociology at the University of Cincinnati and Hebrew University in Tel Aviv, Rubin returned to the United States and became a key figure in the antiwar movement, cofounding the Youth International Party (Yippie) and running for political office, including a bid for Vice President in 1968.
Rubin gained notoriety for his participation in the Chicago protests during the Democratic National Convention in 1968, leading to his involvement in the highly publicized trial of the Chicago Seven, where he was convicted of provoking a riot but later acquitted on appeal. Beyond activism, he authored several notable works focused on social change and political engagement, including "Do It! Scenarios of the Revolution" and "We Are Everywhere." In the 1980s, Rubin transitioned into the business world, working in nutrition products and finance. His life was tragically cut short when he died in 1994 due to injuries sustained in a traffic accident. Rubin's legacy remains a significant part of American counterculture and political history.
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Jerry Rubin
Activist
- Born: July 14, 1938
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Died: November 28, 1994
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Biography
Best known for his social activism during the 1960’s and 1970’s, Jerry Rubin was born on July 14, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Esther Katz Rubin. With his father, a truck driver and union organizer, Rubin was raised in an atmosphere of political activism and organization. He attended Walnut Hills High School and coedited the school newspaper, The Chatterbox, before going on to the University of Cincinnati, receiving a B.A. in sociology in 1961. While attending the university, he worked as a writer and an editor of youth pages for the Cincinnati Post and Times-Star from 1956 until 1961.
After Rubin’s parents both died within ten months of each other, Rubin and his brother, Gil, moved to Tel Aviv, Israel, where Rubin continued his graduate studies in sociology at Hebrew University. While Gil remained in Israel, Rubin returned to the United States to attend the University of California at Berkeley in 1964, but he dropped out to focus on student organization. While living in Berkeley, Rubin became an antiwar activist and cofounded the Youth International Party, better known as Yippie. He was the Peace and Freedom Party’s candidate for mayor of Berkeley in 1966 and for vice president of the United States in 1968. He also helped organize and participated in an antiwar protest in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention held there in 1968.
For his activities during the convention, Rubin was charged with conspiring to incite violence and riot. In 1969, he, Abbie Hoffman, and five other defendants, known as the Chicago Seven, were tried for these alleged offenses. Rubin was convicted of provoking a riot, but he was acquitted on appeal. He provided one of the most memorable images of the trial by walking back and forth in front of the judge with his arm in a Nazi salute and shouting “Heil Hitler!” After the trial, Rubin worked as a group leader in Esalen workshops and as a therapist, using the Fischer-Hoffman psychic therapy process, until 1974.
Rubin’s most famous writings revolve around his social activism and political positions. Do It! Scenarios of the Revolution, with an introduction by Black Panther member Eldridge Cleaver, was published in 1969, followed the next year by We Are Everywhere. Vote, cowritten with Hoffman and Ed Sanders, appeared in 1972. Rubin also published Growing (Up) at 37 in 1976.
In the 1980’s, Rubin changed his life drastically, becoming a business entrepreneur of nutrition products and working on Wall Street as a banker and director of a networking firm for executives. He was hit by a car on November 28, 1994, while he was jaywalking on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and died at the age of fifty-six of cardiac arrest due to his injuries. He is buried in Culver City, California.