City of Fresno and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Committee honors Ellie Bluestein
Friday January 14, 2022 at 6:00 PM at Fresno City Hall
“Honoring the Dream Today with Hope, Compassion, and Unity for All!” Watch new video of Ellie’s 1995 Free Speech Award
Gene learned ed McCurdy’s Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream from Pete seeger. We were introduced to the mayor of hiroshima when we first arrived and told him we were strong supporters of world peace. during the august 6 commemoration of the drop- ping of the nuclear bomb, Gene performed this song at one of the events and added an extra verse to fit the occasion.
Then let’s join hands and make a pledge That we’ll have peace today
Then generations yet to come
Will never have to say
five years later, when we were in China, we were invited to perform for the Chinese new Year television program in Changsha. We sang this song together, with Gene on autoharp, and they provided a translation. The following day we went shopping in downtown Changsha, and everywhere we went people stopped us and told us they had seen us on the program–we were instant celebrities!
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Year in Hiroshima 1983 Fresno Bee newspaper guest editorial by Ellie Bluestein |
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Fresnan Ellie Bluestein is living in Japan with her husband, Gene, who is teaching at Hiroshima University. They are joined this month by their four children Joel, Evo, Jemmy, and Frayda–who with their father will perform in a series of concerts, including a Peace Concert in Hiroshima on Saturday–the 38th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that city, one at the American Center in Tokyo, and another in Kyoto. Gene and I are living in a three-room apartment with shoji screens and tatami mats, on the ninth floor of a modern building on Honkawa Cho, a very busy traffic-laden street just four blocks from the main downtown intersection of Hiroshima. from our living room there is a breathtaking view of the mountains that surround the city on the western side, a view constantly changing with the rain, the mist, the sun, and the moon. Across the street is the magnificent Peace Memorial Park, dedicated to everlasting peace and an end to the threat of nuclear war. It was built by the people of Hiroshima with contributions from all over the world, in memory of those who perished in the atomic bombing of 1945, and to symbolize the miraculous triumph of life, the regeneration of plants, people, and city, from the ashes of flame and radiation. According to city statistics, an average of 30,000 people visit the park daily, most of them Japanese, of course–mothers with babes, people on their way to work, busloads of tourists and delegations from other cities, and most of all students, in their dark school uniforms, of all ages, elementary through college. They start arriving by 10 in the morning, often several classes from one school. after viewing the compelling videotape that documents the actual event and aftereffects, with startling and chilling reality, they go through the museum with its artifacts, diagrams and statistics, melted stone and bricks, lunch boxes, clothing–remnants of a people and city that disappeared. |
Then a guide from the Peace Cultural foundation leads them through the park explaining the various monuments. There is the A-bomb dome, the most striking feature of the park. It is the only building left standing just as it was after the blast, with its twisted bare metal framework and crumbling bricks outlined against the vibrant green treetops and peaceful blue sky. Another beautiful statue has a large bas-relief sculpture behind it, depicting the workers and students who were killed in great numbers, because many of them were employed in that part of the city, digging fire breaks in case of an attack, not knowing it would not suffice for this kind of attack.
A huge burial mound contains the bodies of victims who were never identified; whole neighborhoods were wiped out with no one left to say who had been living there. There are individual monuments throughout the park, to people of other nations who perished in the attack, to individuals who helped in the relief effort, to poets and artists for peace. But the centerpiece is the concrete cenotaph, like a protective curved roof, under which is located the tomb that contains the names of all those who have died as a result of the blast and its radiation.
Each year on August 6th, when the commemorative ceremony takes place, the mayor opens the tomb and adds the names of those who have died of the radiation disease during the past year. Many Hibakushas are still suffering from radiation-related symptoms, including more than 1000 in the united states, who are finding it very difficult to get adequate medical treatment.
There are always beautiful fresh flowers in front of the cenotaph, arranged each morning by the women who diligently rake the gravel and clean the area as though they are tending the graves of their own loved ones–maybe they are. everyone in Hiroshima whom we have met is either a personal victim of the a-bombing or has a very close relative who was.
Hiroshima is determined not to let the world forget and make the same mistake again. as the students line up before the cenotaph, many of them kneel or bow with their hands together in Buddhist fashion, or place lighted incense on the altar. But the most moving scene for me is the one before the statue of the girl lifting her arms with the golden crane–the symbol of life, above the large, powerful bomb. The statue was built with contributions from children throughout Japan and many other countries as well, in honor of Sadako, who wanted to be a running champion for her school but died at the age of 12, from the a-bomb disease, leukemia.
Her best friend brought her a golden paper crane and told her that if she could make 1,000 of them, she would live. But she was only able to make 600, and the children of Japan have been bringing her the rest ever since. Especially on August 6th, children from all over the world, including fresno, make paper cranes to remember Sadako and her desire for life and the needs that all children have for peace, and a chance to live and fulfill themselves.
I cannot leave the peace park without shedding a tear as I watch the moving ceremony of the students who gather around Sadako while someone reads a statement, a poem, or a prayer, and they remove thousands of paper cranes from the boxes they have brought from their schools. There they are all placed, in beautiful colors of gold, vermillion, blue, white, silver–large and small, some so tiny I don’t know who could fold them so daintily, many carrying messages from the children who made them.
It amazes me that there is such warmth and friendship shown to me as an American, by the young people who are memorializing the tragedy of the dropping of the atomic bomb by American armed forces. I am invariably greeted with cheerful ‘hellos,’ warm smiles, giggles of shyness. i have asked many people why there is not some residue of bitterness or resentment towards me, as an American, and invariably the answer is the same. That is the lesson of the a-bomb. There must be no more enemies and no more war. We must all be friends. That is the only way to prevent wars. There must be no more Hiroshimas.
It seems such a simple lesson; how can we teach it to the children of the world? how can we counter the urgings of a persuasive president who holds up other nations as the embodiment of evil and plans the building of ever more destructive weapons?
Before leaving the park, everyone rings the peace bell. It takes two or three students to push the heavy wooden log against the enormous metal bell. I have not tried to ring it yet. When my four children arrive in Hiroshima this month, we will ring it together. Maybe you will feel the vibration. •
Obituary for Ellie Bluestein
Peace activist Eleanore Bluestein passed away of natural causes at her home on April 7, at the age of 92. Ellie was born in New York City on October 5, 1928. Her family moved to New Britain, Connecticut when she was four and she lived there until she moved back to New York to attend New York University. She met her late husband Gene Bluestein when they were counselors at Kinderland summer camp and they were married in 1949. They moved to Minnesota for Gene’s PhD studies and their four children were born there. In 1963 Gene accepted a position in the English Department at then Fresno State College. Fresno was to be their final home although at various times they lived in Finland, Japan, and China and traveled widely. Ellie was a life-long worker for peace and justice at the local, national, and international levels. She co-founded the Fresno chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and was a long-time member of the Raging Grannies. She was a friend, mentor, advocate, and supporter to many people. She is preceded in death by her husband Gene Bluestein. She is survived by her children Joel, Evo, Jemmy, and Frayda and grandchildren Jade, Masha, Sarah, Steven, Isaiah, and Rachel. A Memorial will be scheduled at a future date. Contributions in her memory can be made to Jade Battles Myasthenia Gravis & Lupus & RA (checks to Juliana Harris), or to Musick Creek Confluence, ℅ Jem Bluestein, (10691 Madsen Ave, Clovis, CA 93612), or WILPF Fresno (P.O. Box 5114, Fresno, CA 93755).
Here is Ellie in her own words,
“I don’t know who started it–a kind of study group, some of the women who either just had their first child, or were about to have their first child, just as I was, in 1952. Our concern was about raising children in a world of violence. It was interesting because none of us were pacifists. We were all people who had fully supported World War II, especially those of us who were Jewish. I had family–my mother’s brother and his whole family, who were killed during the holocaust. Hitler was an evil menace and there was no questioning the war, as far as we were concerned. All my male cousins were in the service and Gene would have gone if the war hadn’t ended. There was no question of support, but after World War II, it seemed that a lot of the same people were back in power in Germany, and it seemed that not all that much had changed around the world, still a lot of violence and injustice.
This was the way in which my philosophy of working toward world peace and understanding applied to the rearing of children. I felt at a very early point when I had the four children, that if there cannot be peace in a household then how can there be peace in the world? I felt all my time and efforts in working for world peace, for better understanding against discrimination, for greater equality, and justice in the world didn’t mean anything if I couldn’t work towards that in my own family.
I felt this strong connection with women all over the world as the result of being a mother, and this incredible empathy for women who had no food for their children, or a proper house. It was such a strong thing. I read a book by Jane Addams called Peace and Bread in Time of War, which dealt with the fact that wars are started basically by men in power, but the women and children suffer from starvation and death, as a result. These feelings that I had, this strong connection I felt with women all over the world, was part of the reason for my strong identification with this group, which was an international group. It was very important to me that there were women from India, Japan, France–all over, that were working towards peace, although I wasn’t a pacifist at that time.
I hadn’t thought about pacifism as a philosophy. My own tendency was non-pacifist. I was confrontational in many ways. I didn’t think of it so directly, but the thought of a child of mine–I had a son–being called on to kill children of other women, was something that I could not accept. I was thinking in terms of the feeding of children, the nourishing of children, how important it was to make it possible, and how peace was a necessity, in order to make it possible, and the importance of people all over the world to have enough to eat. I became active in the women’s group while we were in Minnesota, but my activity was at a low level. It consisted of going to meetings occasionally and letter writing.
When Gene took a job at Michigan State in 1959, we moved to East Lansing. That’s where I became more involved with Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). I recruited many of the young wives of faculty into the group. I was a good leader and soon I became president of the chapter. At Easter, we had a peace parade in downtown Lansing, against the beginning of the Vietnam War. We were supporting the freedom rides and the civil rights movement that was burgeoning at the time. We were supportive of the United Nations and the international peace movement.
As branch President, I attended statewide meetings of WILPF. There were big branches in Detroit and Ann Arbor. I went to the national meeting in Minneapolis and met fabulous women, many of whom were in their eighties and nineties, and still active intellectually, politically, and out in the streets demonstrating. It was incredible to me and I wanted to be like these women. This is one of the things that encouraged me.
See Fresno Bee Tribute to Ellie.
Interview with Ellie and WILPF member Sandra Iyall.
Tributes
My condolences to you and your family Evo. Mary and I met her very early after we moved to Fresno. She was one of those people who made us realize that we could enjoy living here. We will miss her.
–Paul Gilmore
She was so important to Fresno and beyond. Thanks for sharing her with the rest of us. –Royal Calkins
Such a beautiful person, mother of my first Fresno family. She will be missed, but her spirit will live on in all of us though the many years of music, humor, love & cherished memories. –Bodie Wagner
Her wisdom has inspired the world to be a better place.
What an honor it has been to share time and space with your family and with Ellie. –Anton David and Anna Moore
She was a unique force of nature that left her mark on so many people and so many activities! –Jean Leavenworth
I figure that I knew Ellie from around 1966 on—so over 50 years. She was bright, fun, warm, generous, and facilitated everything that Gene and you children did. She was also her own person, so creative and so committed to truth and love. –Jan Mitchell
HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE compañera ELLIE. –Luis Melendez
Our dear Ellie was a beacon of love, peace, and light in a world which so desperately needs them. Her inspiration and joie de vivre will live on forever in the hearts and cherished memories of those who love her.
–Bonnie Balatti Heifetz
An incredible loving woman with a heart as big as California…..she was a bad ass….founder of the local WILPF chapter, she continues to inspire us even with her absence. Thank you Ellie for the example, for the courage, and for your love and support. –Patricia Wells Solarzano
The last time Nightingale and I visited Ellie was preparing us for her Journey. She directed us to watch a beautiful movie which we did right away The Ballad of Narayama (Japanese film), they carry the old people to a mountain top and leave them. Ellie showed by example how to love, hope and dream. –Daniel Tilsen
Thank you Joshua Tehee and the Fresno Bee for his excellent article on a great peace activist, Ellie Bluestein, who died peacefully with members of her family at her side. Ellie was an inspiration for so many in Fresno and beyond during her lifetime. Her legacy will live on for generations to come. A memorial service will be held some time in the future when the community can come together to celebrate her great life. ––Howard K. Watkins
She was an example of all that we can be. –-Wendy Russell
Such a hero! Such a life! I just feel bad that we have to wait a year or more for any memorials. When it is safe. ––Kathy Reilley
Ellie was an intelligent, loving person and great activist. She always greeted me with a big, welcoming smile. After we met at a demonstration opposing the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, she sent me a typed letter introducing me to and welcoming me to WILPF. That was the first of several invitations and much encouragement. Ellie lived life to the fullest and we all benefited. —Camille Russell
We miss you. It’s difficult to reconcile your absence with the fact that we all just spoke and laughed with you days ago. I miss you. The world is different without you in it. Yet, I recognize the echoes of your tireless efforts toward Peace reverberating still. May they inspire others to take up the cause for human reconciliation and understanding. Regardless of one’s spiritual belief, now is a time of reflection on life, death and the transformative nature of our world. The springtime with its resurgence of life after the cold sleep of winter serves to remind us of Einstein’s greatest gift to us – the knowledge that matter is energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed, merely transformed. You have now moved beyond places where we can see. I do not know the nature of your transformation, though I feel that beyond the great mystery you hear us singing your songs. For justice, peace and love among all living beings. Thank you for the beauty you brought to this world. My small life is just one of countless lives touched and made better by knowing you. I love you. Metta. –Your Granddaughter, Jade
Patricia and I feel that we have lost a great friend. I’ve been trying to write you for the last few days but I felt too sad. I loved her wit and sharp sense of humor; she had such strength and drive. I loved the way she fought the opposition with her heart and soul. She talked straight from the day I met her and of course I noticed and admired her deeply. To put it simply, she was my heroine… Ellie was one of the few people that I felt I could turn to for advice and for help. Patricia and I loved Ellie very much and it will not be difficult to keep her memory alive. –Agustin Lira
I cherished my time visiting with her and she enriched my life beyond measure–both with social justice and equality and by birthing a family whose music has always lifted my soul. –Bob Boro
It was hard to grow up without grandparents in the country and rare, short phone calls that were never enough. Thank you for being there for me, for inviting my family to be a part of yours, for holding me when I told you about my cancer diagnosis and giving me the strength to start the journey. I miss your hugs, your unapologetic smooches on the lips, your laughter. I’m grateful for the time I did have with you but it wasn’t enough. I feel lost in sea of inhumanity. You were my guide and I’m not sure where to go now. I close my eyes and listen for your voice which usually tells me to get up and get going. Try, fail, try again, it’s all I can do. I think it’s all we can do. I hope to make you proud. Love you, Anjali Kapoor-Davis
You were so fortunate and blessed to have had Ellie as your matriarch. We should have all been so lucky. She was always so welcoming with her big smile an eagerness to embrace.
–John Walke
She will always be part of me. Her voice has grown stronger in my mind since the news, and I shall cultivate it by asking, What would Ellie do?
–Abby Wolk
I was so so sad to learn of Ellie’s death. She wasn’t just a social justice Valkyrie, but a person unafraid to live out loud in every best way—I always wanted to grow up to be her. –Patience Milrod
I remember a brief conversation I had with Ellie a few years back. The subject was police relations in the community. I was expecting her to express intolerance for unjust behavior on the part of some of our law enforcement people. I was expecting some expression of hostility. But instead, the words I recall her saying were, “I think the officers sometimes get scared.” I was impressed with that bit of empathy she showed. It made perfect sense that when we’re in threatening situations we can give way to fear. I suppose common citizens are no different from officers out on the street. There’s an everyday lesson in that. Thank you, Ellie Bluestein for raging on with others in the name of justice.
–Ron Bohigian
Ellie knew how to get things done by working steadily behind the scenes and then participating in the result. I never saw her angry or even upset. Her kindness showed in her face. She organized and personally showed for protests through the years against injustice of all kinds. Many folks willingly working TOWARD a goal rather than against anyone else. Ellie and Faith Petric (San Francisco folk supporter for MANY years and Malvina Reynolds (Little Boxes) were my heroes. They used their talents well and made their lives count. –Sherron Brown
–Michele DeRosa
–Stuart Leavenworth
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