In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights. This Shabbat, Torah places the Israelites on the steppes of Moab—inching ever closer to the Promised Land. Parashat Ki Tetzei continues what scholars consider to be the third part of Moses's final discourse to the people, a section heavily rooted in and focused on moral codes and commandments. Within this week's parasha we find statements of or allusions to 74 of the 613 mitzvot considered part of our tradition, and— thematically for this week on our American calendar—they turn to a number of laws that govern employer–employee relationships. Reading them through the lens of today's world—or even through the lens of medieval scholars—we might see how and why the American labor movement was shaped and often defined by Jewish voices; these verses also explain how these early labor leaders crafted their demands for [...]

In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights.Also included in the wonderful gift bag of books were, no surprise, a couple of books about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, z"l. While not technically a labor leader, there is no doubt that her dogged pursuit of equity over the course of her legal career changed the workplace experience for Americans, particularly for women.Of course, Justice Ginsburg's story is deeply intertwined with the Ashkenazi immigrant experience in New York, and is even—in some ways—tied to Clara Lemlich Shavelson and her legacy. Justice Ginsburg was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Nathan and Celia (Amster) Bader. Nathan had immigrated to the United States from Russia at the age of 13. Celia, the fourth of seven children, was the first to be born in the [...]

In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights. When I left my former congregation to come here to Stephen Wise, a group of mothers with whom I had shared parenting and activism gifted me a number of children's books focused on justice. One of those books was "Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909." It is a children's biography of Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich Shavelson, the farbrente Yidishe meydle (fiery Jewish girl) who organized women into the International Ladies Garment Workers Union beginning in 1905. At a 1909 strike meeting at the Cooper Union, Shavelson's fiery speech, in Yiddish, set off the Uprising of the 20,000, the largest strike by women workers to that date. The book itself focuses entirely on her labor activism upon her arrival in the [...]

In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights. The meeting last night was held in Bauer's Union Saenger Hall, on the corner of Ewen and Meserole Streets, and was composed of the members of Local Unions No. 27, 66, and 83, of the United Garment Workers' Union of America. There were about three hundred and fifty men present and fifty more women and girls, all of whom were members of the union. The proceedings were conducted entirely in the dialect spoken among the Dutchtown tailors, which is sometimes known as Jehudls, pronounced Yahooda … two speeches had been made beside the opening address of the chairman, whose name was Isaac Walman. The orators were Morlx Alexander and Louis Grossman … Alexander said that they were victims of the worst form of [...]