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Sol Stern (October 16, 1935 – July 11, 2025) was an American journalist and author of the book Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice (2003) and wrote extensively on education reform.
As a Zionist, his departure from radicalism was a result of the New Left's attacks on Israel; he additionally disliked what he felt was excessive anti-Americanism in the movement. He had also collaborated with Ronald Radosh on a research project into the evidence against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Originally intending to prove their innocence, Stern and Radosh came to believe that the Rosenbergs had been guilty of spying for the Soviet Union. In 2008, The New York Times described him as a "cantankerous provocateur against liberal education policies, criticizing reading curriculums that de-emphasize phonics as well as public schools that focus on social justice." Sol Stern interview at the New York Times, published February 13, 2008 Stern has written critiques of Paulo Freire's work, "Pedagogy of the Oppressor: Another reason why U.S. ed schools are so awful: the ongoing influence of Brazilian Marxist Paulo Freire.", City Journal, Spring 2009 Bill Ayers's career as an education reformer for City Journal and elsewhere and of Palestinian motives "A Century of Palestinian Rejectionism and Jew Hatred (2011)". "The Ed Schools’ Latest—and Worst—Humbug: Teaching for “social justice” is a cruel hoax on disadvantaged kids.", City Journal, Summer 2006 "Obama’s Real Bill Ayers Problem: The ex-Weatherman is now a radical educator with influence.", City Journal, April 23, 2008 In 2020, Stern publicly broke with City Journal, arguing the magazine had lost its independent outlook in the Trump era. "Think Tank in the Tank." Democracy, July 7, 2020.
Personal life and death
Stern and his wife, Ruthie (née Geyra), whom he met in Israel during a stint working as a journalist there, had two sons. He died from cancer at his home in Manhattan on July 11, 2025, at the age of 89. Remembering Sol Stern City Journal, July 14, 2025. Sol Stern Dignity Memorial. At the time of his death, he had been working on his memoirs.
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Categories: 1935 Births, 2025 Deaths, 20th-century American Jews, 20th-century American Journalists, 20th-century American Male Writers, 20th-century American Non-fiction Writers, 21st-century American Jews, 21st-century American Journalists, 21st-century American Male Writers, 21st-century American Non-fiction Writers, Activists From New York, American Male Journalists, American Male Non-fiction Writers, American Tax Resisters, American Zionists, Deaths From Cancer In New York, Israeli Emigrants To The United States, Jewish American Activists, Jewish American Journalists, Jewish American Non-fiction Writers, Journalists From The Bronx, Manhattan Institute For Policy Research, People From Ramat Gan
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