Rachel Ben-Avi

Born in 1944, graduated the Dalton School in NYC, ‘62, attended Wellesley College and dropped out Junior year. I was an unsuccessful model, a moderately successful actress for a couple of years, returnd to Dalton and taught English for five years, back to school, Columbia, Hunter, finally got B.A. graduated Summa Cum Laude, PhD in clinical psychology from Long Island University; Certificate in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy from the Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy at NYU. Worked in private practice in NY for some 15 years, and at the Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center for seven, retired in 1990. Over the next ten years I wrote four novels, none of them was published. Married twice, second marriage in 1982 to Avrum Ben-Avi, PhD, who died this year, on September 27, at the age of 91. Father was Howard Fast, famous (at the time) writer of over 80 books, including Spartacus, Citizen Tom Paine, Freedom Road, The Immigrants Series; Mother was a designer (graduate of Parson’s) and artist. Father (member of the Communist Party ’44—’56) was called before HUAC and sent to prison for refusing to name names. I have a memoir in a book called Red Diapers: Growing up in the Communist Left. Edited by Judy Kaplan and Linn Shapiro. Retired in Sarasota. Just began a small design business. Was an active and insanely passionate Obama supporter.