In the late summer of 2024 as the RFC staff discussed the possible re-launch of the Exoneration effort, we realized that we’d probably require some administrative assistance to continue serving our beneficiary community and keeping in touch with our donors while promoting the effort to exonerate my grandmother. We drafted a job description for a part-time administrative assistant and were very fortunate to find a friend of a current staff member who had the skills we needed and was open to some additional part-time work. Meet Sonya, the newest member of the RFC team.

I have always been an idealist. As a descendant of German Jews, and the daughter of an immigrant who narrowly escaped persecution during Hitler’s rise to power in the early 1930s, I was aware of injustice from an early age. Raised on stories of the dangers of intolerance and hatred as a force for evil, I not only understood the importance and value of political and intellectual freedoms as cornerstones of a just society, but felt a personal responsibility to be a voice for change. As I grew up and continued to learn more about various movements and different forms of activism, this desire continued to grow and evolve. Now, as a young adult a few years out of college, I have tried, as much as is possible within various warped systems, to mold my life into something I can be proud of, and to live my life by the ethical principles that shaped me from early childhood.

When a friend told me about an opening at the RFC last fall, I jumped at the chance to become a small part of an organization that seemed so well-matched with my own personal and political ideals. From my initial zoom meeting with Jenn, Rachel, and Cleo, it was clear to me that this is a special organization, one that truly values its donors, its grantees, and its employees as full and complete individuals. While I had previously thought of administrative work as somewhat faceless and devoid of human interaction, in my current position I have felt the power and love of a community which, in the darkest of times, has stepped forward to offer support for our most vulnerable in this country. When I say support, I refer not only to the monetary contributions sent in by donors, but also by the words of encouragement, cards, and dedications to loved ones that come across my desk time and again.  

In my time at the RFC, I have been a part of many different projects, including transcribing the declassified memo that made breaking news last September, drafting thank you letters to donors, processing data relating to the Exonerate Ethel campaign and associated petitions, and proofreading a variety of written materials. In the process, I have been privy to many messages of support and kindness. I have been surprised and encouraged by the number of individuals who feel compelled to share their personal histories of the Rosenberg case, or choose to honor a loved one with their donation, as well as those donors who choose to sustain a connection with the RFC over extended periods of time, some for more than twenty years. It’s clear to me that for so many in our community, the act of supporting the RFC is more than adding your name to a petition, or putting a check in the mail. It’s a commitment to taking conscious and meaningful action that tangibly improves life for someone else. This is an important act of care in a world that constantly tries to convince us to act only in our best interest.

In our current political climate, it is easy to feel paralyzed by anger, sadness, and despair at the current state of things, but the RFC community has shown me, again and again, that in dark times, the simple act of people coming together to make change can be a powerful and vital source for good. I hope that in good times and bad, we can continue not only to search for, but to create, that light.