Bernice Diskin

Bernice Diskin

Bernice Diskin

Life story

Bernice Diskin was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1920. Graduated Grover Cleveland High School 1938. Went to work (two weeks after graduation) in a sweatshop for $11.88 a week -- 12 c out for Social Security -- "for the rest of my life I worked in mainly low-skill office jobs -- except for last 10 years of working life, was a word processor. Long-time member of the Communist Party USA."

Communist youth festival

Bernice Diskin was at the first World Youth Festival in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1947, with 72,000 young people.

This was two years after the end of World War II. After five years of fighting Nazism, the youth of the world shared a very special unity and determination. The defeat of fascism pulled together many different groupings, which may have disagreed on many things but were all united against fascism. Many countries that sent delegations were still fighting colonialism, including Indonesia, India, and many African countries. It was a very hopeful time. It felt like a new beginning. Eastern Europe was building socialism, instead of suffering under capitalism like today.

Our US delegation was about 325 people. The government—I mean the CIA, FBI, and all the rest—was determined to keep us from going. We had airline reservations, and they nixed that. So we went in a British tub. This ship was for cargo really, not for passengers. The trip took weeks. But we had a great time! We made friends with a group of Indian seamen working on the boat. We were a pick-up delegation, not very organized. We came from many different peace organizations and youth groups. I was active in the Young Communist League. The Festival was full of singing, dancing, competitions and prizes. I would ask everyone I met to sing me a song from their country. I learned many songs that way! We saw with our own eyes the devastation that fascism had created. Whole areas, towns and villages were in very bad shape, even two years after the end of the war.

After two weeks of the Festival, all of the delegates spent two weeks helping towns in Czechoslovakia rebuild. Of course, we weren’t skilled workers! We just came and said, tell us what to do and we’ll do it! I worked laying roadbed. Each day we walked to the worksite from where we were staying, about 2 miles, and we sang work songs and peace songs the whole way.

One of the places I worked in was called Litice. Litice was a small town, and a leading Nazi figure had been assassinated there by the resistance. This made Hitler so furious that he wanted to wipe out the whole town and make it so it had never existed. So the Nazis killed the men and sent the women and children to the camps in Germany. Then they burned the city down. But that wasn't enough: they changed the course of the river, so no one could ever find where Litice had been. And that's where the Festival delegates went to build roads. The Festival was such a moving experience. It knocked the hell out of me! We had a chance to speak to so many people. We all thought world peace was possible - that moment of hope had not yet disappeared. The Festival was a major light in my life. .

Communist Party reformer

In 1991 Bernice Diskin, New Jersey was one of several hundred Communist Party USA members to sign the a paper "An initiative to Unite and Renew the Party" - most signatories left the Party after the December 1991 conference to found Committees of Correspondence.

Greetings to Committees of Correspondence conference

Lou Diskin and Bernice Diskin sent greetings to the Second Committees of Correspondence National Conference, held July 12-14 1996, in New York.

Communist Party MLK tribute

On January 19, 2002, the Communist Party USA newspaper, Peoples Weekly World published a signed tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr..

We salute Dr. King’s courage and vision. He saw and struggled for an America and world that can be. We pledge in his memory to work to reorder our nation’s priorities “so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war.”

Signatories included Bernice Diskin. Almost all signatories were confirmed members of the Communist Party USA.

References

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