In Memory of Irving Kristol

At a time when people listened to what great thinkers had to say, Irving Howe, Daniel Bell, Nathan Glazer and Irving Kristol, who died in September, were considered four of the most brilliant and influential minds of their time, men who tried to make radical changes with their own thoughts. Given the anti-Semitic quotas and high tuitions of Ivy League universities, the four Jewish friends began their intellectual careers at City College in New York in the 1930s and continued to play a vital role in intellectual debates about McCarthyism, the New Left in the 1960’s, and the Reagan revolution in the 80’s.

Matthew Hoffman is assistant professor of Judaic Studies and History at Franklin & Marshall College, where he teaches courses on Jewish history, literature and religion. He is currently conducting research on debates between communists and socialists in the Yiddish press in America in the 1930s and ‘40s.

“This enthralling film creates a vivid picture of intellectual life in the 20th century. For more than half a century, Irving Howe, Daniel Bell, Nathan Glazer and Irving Kristol have all passionately believed that ideas can change the world - especially their ideas.” -Documentary Films.Net