DAVID Horowitz was an American conservative writer and founder of the think tank the David Horowitz Freedom Center; editor of the Center’s publication, FrontPage Magazine; and director of Discover the Networks, a website that tracks individuals and groups on the political left. 

Until 1975, Horowitz was an outspoken adherent of the New Left. He later rejected progressive ideas and became a defender of conservatism.

Horowitz recounted his ideological journey in a series of retrospective books, culminating with his 1996 memoir Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey.

CRIMES

Born in the Forest Hills neighbourhood of New York, Horowitz was the son of Jewish high school teachers Phil and Blanche Horowitz. His father taught English and his mother taught stenography.

During years of labour organising and the Great Depression, Phil and Blanche Horowitz were long-standing members of the American Communist Party and strong supporters of Joseph Stalin. They left the Party after Khrushchev published his report in 1956 about the crimes Stalin committed and terrorism against the Soviet population.

During the early 1970s, David Horowitz developed a close friendship with Huey Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party. Horowitz later portrayed Newton as equal parts gangster, terrorist, intellectual and media celebrity.

Horowitz died in February 2019.PC