Aryeh Neier
| Aryeh Neier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 22, 1937 Berlin, Nazi Germany |
| Residence | New York |
| Nationality | naturalized U.S. citizen |
| Alma mater | Cornell University, B.S., 1958. |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Known for | Co-founder Human Rights Watch, President of George Soros’s Open Society Institute (1993 to 2012) |
| Spouse(s) | Yvette Celton (a merchandiser) |
| Children | David |
Aryeh Neier (born April 22, 1937) is an American human rights activist who co-founded Human Rights Watch, served as the president of George Soros's Open Society Institute philanthropy network from 1993 to 2012, had been National Director of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1970 to 1978, and he was also involved with the creation of the group SDS by being directly involved in the group SLID's renaming.
Neier was born in Berlin, Nazi Germany, son of Wolf (a teacher) and Gitla (Bendzinska) Neier, and became a refugee as a child when his family fled in 1939 when he was two years old. He graduated from UNC with highest honors in 1961.
He served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University.
Neier was hired by the ACLU in 1963 and became the organization's executive director in 1970. During his time as executive director, he helped grow the organization's membership from 140,000 to 200,000. Neier was criticized for his decision to have the ACLU support the National Socialist Party of America, a Neo-Nazi group, in its efforts to march in Skokie, Illinois, in the case National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, despite the presence in Skokie of large numbers of Jews and Holocaust survivors. The ACLU's representation of the group resulted in 30,000 members who ended their ACLU membership. He also led the ACLU's efforts to protect the civil rights of prisoners and those in mental hospitals, fought for the abolition of the death penalty and to make abortions available to those who need them. In his 1979 book, Defending My Enemy: American Nazis in Skokie, Illinois, and the Risks of Freedom, Neier defended his actions in support of the Skokie march, arguing that Jews are best protected by ensuring that the rule of law allowing minorities to speak out is afforded to all groups.
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