Richard Schifter was born in Vienna, Austria, on July 31, 1923, into a Jewish family from Poland.[1][2] In the wake of the Anschluss by which the First Austrian Republic was annexed by Nazi Germany, Schifter's family sought permission for all of them to emigrate to the United States, but Richard was the only member of the family able to obtain a visa. His parents, who had been born in Poland, were in the Polish quota, and placed on a long waiting list.[3] He immigrated to the United States without his family in December 1938, at the age of 15.[4] In the U.S., he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the City of New York in 1943.[5]
He was present for the Normandy landings and did intelligence work in the field.[4] After the Battle of the Bulge, he was stationed in Aachen and tasked with interviewing the civilian population, thus producing one of the first studies of daily life under the Third Reich.[4] He searched for his family after the war, but they had all been killed in the Holocaust.[1] He was discharged from the Army in 1946, but stayed in Allied-occupied Germany working for the U.S. military government as a civilian until 1948.[4][6]
After the election of Bill Clinton, he was appointed to special assistant to the United States National Security Council.[10] He served in this capacity until 2001.[11]
Since leaving government in 2001, Schifter headed the American Jewish International Relations Institute and the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeastern Europe.[11] He was also a trustee of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies.[11]
^ abcdContinuation of Richard Schifter as an Assistant Secretary of State, June 14, 1989
^"Don't Wave Goodbye," Jason and Posner, Praeger/Greenwood (2004)
^ abEdward Lazarus, Black Hills, White Justice: The Sioux Nation Versus the United States, 1775 to the Present (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 226
^ abcdNomination of Richard Schifter To Be an Assistant Secretary of State, Oct. 1, 1985
^Stefan A. Halper and Jonathan Clarke, America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order (Cambridge University Press, 2004), p. 83
^Paul D. Molineaux, "Richard Schifter: Human Rights or 'Population Exchange' Advocate?", Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June 1994
richard, schifter, july, 1923, october, 2020, austrian, american, attorney, diplomat, served, assistant, secretary, state, human, rights, humanitarian, affairs, from, 1985, 1992, assistant, secretary, state, democracy, human, rights, laborin, office, october, . Richard Schifter July 31 1923 October 4 2020 was an Austrian American attorney and diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1985 to 1992 Richard SchifterAssistant Secretary of State for Democracy Human Rights and LaborIn office October 31 1985 April 3 1992PresidentRonald ReaganGeorge H W BushPreceded byElliott AbramsSucceeded byPatricia Diaz DennisPersonal detailsBorn 1923 07 31 July 31 1923Vienna AustriaDiedOctober 4 2020 2020 10 04 aged 97 Alma materCity College of New York BA Yale University LL B Military serviceBranch service United States ArmyUnitRitchie BoysBattles warsWorld War II Contents 1 Early life and education 1 1 Military service 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life and education editRichard Schifter was born in Vienna Austria on July 31 1923 into a Jewish family from Poland 1 2 In the wake of the Anschluss by which the First Austrian Republic was annexed by Nazi Germany Schifter s family sought permission for all of them to emigrate to the United States but Richard was the only member of the family able to obtain a visa His parents who had been born in Poland were in the Polish quota and placed on a long waiting list 3 He immigrated to the United States without his family in December 1938 at the age of 15 4 In the U S he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the City of New York in 1943 5 Schifter enrolled in Yale Law School in 1948 receiving his LL B in 1951 5 Military service edit Schifter joined the United States Army in 1943 becoming one of the Ritchie Boys a unit of among others young Jewish German refugees who the U S Army trained in psychological warfare 4 He was present for the Normandy landings and did intelligence work in the field 4 After the Battle of the Bulge he was stationed in Aachen and tasked with interviewing the civilian population thus producing one of the first studies of daily life under the Third Reich 4 He searched for his family after the war but they had all been killed in the Holocaust 1 He was discharged from the Army in 1946 but stayed in Allied occupied Germany working for the U S military government as a civilian until 1948 4 6 Career editAfter graduating from law school Schifter joined the law firm of Riegelman Strasser Schwarz amp Spiegelberg now Fried Frank Harris Shriver amp Jacobson 7 Following the death of Felix S Cohen in 1953 Schifter along with fellow attorney Arthur Lazarus Jr became the main attorneys for the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation in their repeated disputes with the United States government 7 Schifter practiced law at Fried Frank until the 1980s as one of the foremost practitioners of federal Indian law in the country 8 He also served on the President s Task Force on American Indians from 1966 to 1967 8 From 1981 to 1982 Schifter was U S representative to the UNESCO Committee on Conventions and Recommendations 8 He was also an alternate U S representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights 1981 to 1982 8 From 1983 to 1985 he was the United States Representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights 5 He was also Deputy United States Representative to the United Nations Security Council with the rank of Ambassador from 1984 to 1985 5 In 1985 President of the United States Ronald Reagan nominated Schifter to be Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs After Senate Confirmation Schifter served as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from October 31 1985 until April 3 1992 Schifter s views on U S foreign policy have been described as neoconservative 9 After the election of Bill Clinton he was appointed to special assistant to the United States National Security Council 10 He served in this capacity until 2001 11 Since leaving government in 2001 Schifter headed the American Jewish International Relations Institute and the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeastern Europe 11 He was also a trustee of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies 11 Personal life editSchifter died on October 4 2020 12 13 References edit a b Hear Ambassador Richard Schifter s personal Holocaust story Gazette net Apr 26 2006 https memory loc gov service mss mfdip 2007 2007sch02 2007sch02 pdf bare URL PDF Don t Wave Goodbye Jason and Posner Praeger Greenwood 2004 a b c d e Profile from Ritchie Boys website a b c d Continuation of Richard Schifter as an Assistant Secretary of State June 14 1989 Don t Wave Goodbye Jason and Posner Praeger Greenwood 2004 a b Edward Lazarus Black Hills White Justice The Sioux Nation Versus the United States 1775 to the Present University of Nebraska Press 1999 p 226 a b c d Nomination of Richard Schifter To Be an Assistant Secretary of State Oct 1 1985 Stefan A Halper and Jonathan Clarke America Alone The Neo Conservatives and the Global Order Cambridge University Press 2004 p 83 Paul D Molineaux Richard Schifter Human Rights or Population Exchange Advocate Washington Report on Middle East Affairs June 1994 a b c Profile from Virginia Law School Richard Schifter Legendary US Jewish Diplomat and Human Rights Advocate Dies at Age 97 The Algemeiner October 5 2020 Archived from the original on October 6 2020 staff T O I Former US diplomat and presidential adviser Richard Schifter dead at 97 www timesofisrael com Retrieved October 5 2020 External links editAppearances on C SPAN Website of the American Jewish International Relations Institute AJIRI Ambassador Richard Schifter s One Thousand Children OTC Story American Kindertransport on YouTubeGovernment officesPreceded byElliott Abrams Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian AffairsOctober 31 1985 April 3 1992 Succeeded byPatricia Diaz Dennis Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Schifter amp oldid 1151967779, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
