# Max Levitas

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**Max Samuel Levitas** (1 June 1915 – 2 November 2018) was an Ireland-born British [communist](/source/Communist) activist and councillor, prominent in the [East End of London](/source/East_End_of_London) for many years. The brother of communist activist [Maurice Levitas](/source/Maurice_Levitas), Max Levitas was a member of the [Young Communist League](/source/Young_Communist_League_(Great_Britain)) and later the [Communist Party of Great Britain](/source/Communist_Party_of_Great_Britain).

As part of his involvement in politics, in opposition to the [British Union of Fascists](/source/British_Union_of_Fascists), Levitas was involved in political violence as part of the [Cable Street riot](/source/Battle_of_Cable_Street) with the [Metropolitan Police](/source/Metropolitan_Police). As part of his involvement with the CPGB, he was a councillor on [Stepney Borough Council](/source/Stepney_Borough_Council) and then [Tower Hamlets London Borough Council](/source/Tower_Hamlets_London_Borough_Council) during the 1940s. When division grew within the CPGB over [Eurocommunism](/source/Eurocommunism) in the late 1980s, he joined the re-established [Communist Party of Britain](/source/Communist_Party_of_Britain).

## Biography

Levitas was born in the Portobello area of [Dublin](/source/Dublin), where he attended St Peter's School. His parents were [Yiddish](/source/Yiddish)-speaking Jews fleeing [pogroms](/source/Pogrom) in [Imperial Russia](/source/Imperial_Russia): Lithuanian-born Harry and Latvian-born Leah. Harry was prominent in the Amalgamated Jewish Tailors', Machinists' and Pressers' Union, and this led to his blacklisting by employers. As a result, in 1927, the family moved to [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow), and Max left education.[1][2][3]

In [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow), Levitas became interested in communism, and when he was 16, he joined the [Young Communist League](/source/Young_Communist_League_(Great_Britain)). In 1931, he moved with his family to the East End of London, and he joined his father in the clothing industry, becoming a tailors' presser. He became secretary of the [Mile End](/source/Mile_End) branch of the YCL, which his younger brother [Maurice](/source/Maurice_Levitas) also joined.[1][2]

In the East End, Levitas devoted much of his time to [anti-fascism](/source/Anti-fascism); in 1934, he was arrested for writing "all out against fascism" on three sides of [Nelson's Column](/source/Nelson's_Column), having later returned to the scene to admire his work, while still carrying the paintbrush.[4] In 1936, he was involved in the [Battle of Cable Street](/source/Battle_of_Cable_Street), where Jewish people and socialists prevented a march of fascists through the East End. On his death, the *[Morning Star](/source/Morning_Star_(British_newspaper))* described him as the "last survivor of the Battle of Cable Street".[1]

The communists' other main campaign in the East End in the 1930s was against unfair rents. In 1939, Levitas led a four-month [rent strike](/source/Rent_strike) at Brady Street Mansions, where he lived, as did his grandmother. Through this, he met his future wife, Sadie Freedman. He continued to work in the garment trade, serving as a [shop steward](/source/Shop_steward) for the [Tailors' and Garment Workers' Union](/source/Tailors'_and_Garment_Workers'_Union). During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), he served as a [fire warden](/source/Fire_warden). With [Phil Piratin](/source/Phil_Piratin), he organised an occupation of the bomb shelter at the [Savoy Hotel](/source/Savoy_Hotel), in protest at the lack of such shelters in the East End; a few days later, the government agreed to open underground stations as bomb shelters.[1][3]

Becoming well known as a speaker, Levitas graduated to Stepney [Communist Party](/source/Communist_Party_of_Great_Britain) (CPGB), for which in 1943 he co-authored "Stepney: A Borough to Be Proud Of". In 1946, he was one of ten CPGB candidates to win election to [Stepney Borough Council](/source/Stepney_Borough_Council). He served several terms of office, latterly on [Tower Hamlets London Borough Council](/source/Tower_Hamlets_London_Borough_Council). When he lost his final election, in 1971, he had been a councillor for a total of fifteen years.[1] He stood unsuccessfully in [Stepney](/source/Stepney_(London_County_Council_constituency)) at the [1952](/source/1952_London_County_Council_election) and [1955 London County Council elections](/source/1955_London_County_Council_election).[5][6] He stood unsuccessfully for the Greater London Council in [Tower Hamlets](/source/Tower_Hamlets_(electoral_division)) in 1970 and [Stepney and Poplar](/source/Stepney_and_Poplar_(electoral_division)) in 1973, 1977 and 1981.[7]

After standing down as a councillor, Levitas became a market trader, working in [Dunstable](/source/Dunstable), although he continued to live in the East End. He remained active in the CPGB, eventually joining its [Communist Party of Britain](/source/Communist_Party_of_Britain) (CPB) split, and also in local tenants' and pensioners' groups, and anti-racism campaigns.[3] He retired from work when he was eighty, but continued campaigning. In 2002, he unveiled a plaque in Dublin marking the site of the Camden Street Synagogue and Tailors' and Pressers' Union. In 2013, he addressed a rally opposing the [English Defence League](/source/English_Defence_League),[2] and when he was 99, he led a campaign against high repair bills at his flats on Sidney Street.[1]

Levitas was a fan of [Tottenham Hotspur F.C.](/source/Tottenham_Hotspur_F.C.), and frequently attended games with his son, Stephen, until Stephen's death in 2014. For his 100th birthday, the team gave him a card and a pennant signed by all the team members.[1] The following year, he became the world's oldest Dementia Friend.[3] He remained a member of the CPB until his death, becoming its oldest and longest-serving member.[8]

Levitas died in November 2018, aged 103, with tributes paid by [Jeremy Corbyn](/source/Jeremy_Corbyn), leader of the [British Labour Party](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)),[2] and [Michael D. Higgins](/source/Michael_D._Higgins), [President of Ireland](/source/President_of_Ireland).[9]

## References

1. Davis, Mary (16 November 2018). ["Remembering Max Levitas"](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/remembering-max-levitas-%E2%80%93-jewish-communist-and-last-survivor-battle-cable-street). *Morning Star*. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

1. Corbyn, Jeremy (8 November 2018). ["The world is a better place because of my friend Max Levitas"](https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-world-is-a-better-place-because-of-my-friend-max-levitas-cable-street-1.472167). *The Jewish Chronicle*. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

1. Rahman, Emdad (21 November 2018). ["Max Levitas obituary"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/21/max-levitas-obituary). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

1. ["Max Levitas obituary"](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/max-levitas-obituary-rlqkql52s). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

1. "London County Council: Election results". *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 5 April 1952.

1. "LCC results: Conservatives make headway". *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 25 April 1955.

1. Boothroyd, David. ["Greater London Council Election results: Tower Hamlets"](http://www.election.demon.co.uk/glc/glcth.html). *United Kingdom Election Results*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151024224533/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/glc/glcth.html) 24 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

1. ["Cable Street veteran and communist Max Levitas dies at 103"](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/cable-street-veteran-and-communist-max-levitas-dies-103). *Morning Star*. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

1. Trilling, Daniel (16 November 2018). ["Lessons From a 103-Year-Old Jewish East London Socialist"](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/opinion/max-levitas-london-jewish-socialist.html). *New York Times*. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Max Levitas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Levitas) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Levitas?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.