Rosenblum, Louis

Louis Rosenblum (b. 1923) was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Public School 199 (1929-1935); Yeshiva of Flatbush (1935-1937); James Madison High School (1937-1941); and Brooklyn College (1941-1943). Rosenblum served in the United States Army Infantry from July 1943 to February 1946. He served in the Pacific theater, fought in the battle for Okinawa, was awarded the bronze star, and, at the conclusion of hostilities, served in the army of occupation in Japan. Returning to Brooklyn College, he graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1948 and subsequently attended Ohio State University, where in 1952 he was awarded a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He married Evelyn Mull in 1949, and the couple had four children, Janet, Miriam, Diane, and Daniel.

Rosenblum worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, from 1952 to 1969 as research scientist and technical manager in the areas of high-energy jet aircraft fuels and liquid metal corrosion of high temperature materials. In 1969 he was appointed Chief of the Direct Energy Conversion Division responsible for research and development of thermionics, photovoltaics, and electrochemistry. In 1977 he was appointed Chief of the Solar and Electrochemistry Division, responsible for research and development of photovoltaics and energy storage for space application and for demonstration projects of terrestrial applications of photovoltaic and electrochemical storage systems. Rosenblum retired from NASA in 1981. From 1982 to 1988 he worked as a private consultant in photovoltaic and renewable energy systems for American and international clients, including the University of Michigan, the United States Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United Nations Development Program.

In 1963 Rosenblum and fellow members of Beth Israel-The West Temple, a Cleveland, Ohio synagogue, founded the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism (CCSA), the first public organization dedicated to aiding Jews in the Soviet Union. Its success was recognized nationally and became a model for other local groups. In 1970 the CCSA joined with five other grass roots councils to create the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry (UCSJ). Rosenblum served as the first president of the UCSJ from 1970 to 1973. By 1985 the UCSJ included 32 member councils across the United States, the largest independent Soviet Jewry organization in the world.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism

From the guide to the Louis Rosenblum Papers, Series II, 1923-2012, (Western Reserve Historical Society)

Louis Rosenblum (b. 1923) is a retired scientist who directed the Solar and Electrochemistry Division at the Glenn (formerly Lewis) Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Cleveland, Ohio. Rosenblum was born in Brooklyn, New York, began his higher education at Brooklyn College in 1941, and enlisted and served in the United States Army Infantry from 1943 to 1946. Rosenblum served in the Pacific Theater, fought in the battle for Okinawa, was awarded the bronze star, and at the conclusion of hostilities served in the army of occupation in Japan. In 1948, he graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. in Organic Chemistry and began employment at NASA. In 1963, Rosenblum and fellow members of Beth Israel-The West Temple, a Cleveland synagogue, founded the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism. Rosenblum served as the CCSA's chairman. In 1970, the CCSA joined with five other grass-root councils to create the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry (UCSJ), which became the largest independent Soviet Jewry organization in the world. Rosenblum served as the first chairman of the UCSJ. For a complete history of the CCSA, the researcher should consult the finding aid to MS 4011 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for soviet immigration click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-semitism

From the guide to the Louis Rosenblum Papers, 1964-2004, (Western Reserve Historical Society)