The Jewish voice FOR WORKING
PEOPLE IN PHILADELPHIA

Alice Hoffman was a force of nature, she was a woman who dedicated her life to the labor movement and the pursuit of social justice. Her passing leaves a void that will be difficult to fill, but her memory will continue to inspire all who knew her.

A scholar, teacher, and activist, Alice wrote extensively about the history of labor in Pennsylvania. Her work meticulously preserved the stories of the men and women who built our state’s middle class. A passionate advocate for workers’ rights, she tirelessly fought for a more just and equitable society.

Alice’s impact extended beyond the classroom. She served on numerous boards and committees, including CLUW and the Jewish Labor Committee, always championing a more just and equitable society. Her activism extended beyond the workplace, encompassing peace and social justice movements. A vocal opponent of war, she deeply believed in the power of peace and diplomacy.

But Alice was more than just a brilliant mind and a tireless worker. She was also a kind and compassionate person who always had time for others. A mentor to many, her friendship was a gift.

Those who knew Alice will remember her sharp wit, infectious laugh, and unwavering commitment to her principles. She was a true friend, a dedicated colleague, and a champion for the working class.

We are all better off for having known Alice Hoffman. Her legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of all who were touched by her life.

Friend,

I am excited to announce additional speakers at this year’s Jewish Labor Committee’s VIRTUAL Annual Human Rights Awards Gala on Thursday, December 12th, 2024. In addition to our honorees, Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings, International Federation of Actors President Gabrielle Carteris, and National Hockey League Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh, we will also be joined by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond with more to be announced.

RSVP today by clicking here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jlc2024gala.

For more information, please contact Elise Convy Madison at rsvp@jewishlabor.org.

In a year marked by significant challenges, this event will be a powerful moment of strength, and solidarity. We look forward to coming together with you on December 12th!

Sincerely,

Stuart Appelbaum

President

Jewish Labor Committee

As families gather around the table this Thanksgiving, sharing gratitude and breaking bread, it’s worth pausing to consider the workers who often toil behind the scenes to make our holiday feasts possible. This year, the fight for fair wages and working conditions has taken center stage in cities like Philadelphia, where union workers are challenging the status quo and demanding a better deal.

A Holiday Haunt by Labor Disputes

While many Americans associate Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing, and football, for thousands of workers in Philadelphia, the holiday season has been overshadowed by labor disputes. Union members, from city employees to transit workers, have been on the front lines, fighting for increased wages, improved benefits, and safer working conditions.  

These workers, who often go unnoticed, are the backbone of our communities. They keep our cities running, provide essential services, and contribute to the economic vitality of our nation. Yet, they are frequently undervalued and underpaid.

A Historical Perspective

The labor movement has a long and storied history in the United States, dating back to the 19th century. Throughout the decades, workers have organized and fought for their rights, often facing significant challenges and sacrifices. Thanksgiving, with its roots in the shared meal between Native Americans and European settlers, can be seen as a reminder of the importance of cooperation and community.  

In the spirit of this holiday, it is crucial to acknowledge the contributions of working people and to support their efforts to achieve a fair share of the wealth they create.

A Call to Action

As we gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, let us remember the workers who are fighting for a better future. We can show our support by:

  • Educating ourselves: Learn about the issues facing workers in your community and the labor movement as a whole.
  • Supporting labor unions: Join a union or donate to labor organizations.
  • Advocating for fair policies: Contact your elected officials and urge them to support policies that protect workers’ rights.
  • Shopping responsibly: Choose to support businesses that treat their employees fairly.

By taking these steps, we can help ensure that future Thanksgivings are marked not only by gratitude but also by justice and equity for all.

The outcry following the ugly display in Charlottesville is the loudest and sharpest I’ve ever heard in this country.  We’re divided as a nation and there’s anger and hurt and fear on all sides.  There’s been lots of well placed condemnation.  But what I’m not seeing is the creation of opportunities to bridge the gap, through education and conversation.

The Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee, true to our mission, is going to introduce anti bias programming into the organized Labor Movement in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley this fall.  In partnership with the ADL (Anti Defamation League) and Penn State University, the Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee is going to be launching a Pilot program which involves six hours of anti bias training and conversation led by professional facilitators from the ADL.  The program will be delivered to Union Members, both rank and file and leadership, as a compliment to the Union Leadership Academy programs of the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations, and it will be offered both in Philadelphia as well as the Lehigh Valley.  We expect that approximately 50 union members will participate in the program in its first offering.

The program has a cost which the Jewish Labor Committee is unable to bear on its own.  We need your help.  And given the state of our union, we need it now!  Please make a tax deductible contribution to the Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee now.

This pilot program can only be offered if we achieve support from  of multiple unions, constituent groups and individuals.  Let Labor be the place where the gap begins to be bridged.  Let us lead. Please make your secure tax deductible contribution today.

Michael Hersch
Director, Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee

 

Earlier this week, thousands of Philadelphians gathered at Congregation Rodeph Shalom to begin a their trek down Broad Street in protest of white supremacy and in solidarity with the victims of last week’s confrontation in Charlottesville, VA.  The Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee participated with scores of other social justice and faith-based organizations.

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Thousands Gather for ‘Philly is Charlottesville’ Protest
August 15, 2017: New York, NY –  In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville this past weekend, Jewish Labor Committee President Stuart Appelbaum issued the following statement:

The Jewish Labor Committee joins with all people of good will in our outrage at the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, surrounding the so-called “Unite the Right” rally on August 12, 2017.   There is no place in our society for bigotry, prejudice, racism, and anti-Semitism. This language and those people who espouse it must be condemned at every turn.

Our heart goes out to the victims of the neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists who marched shouting hateful slogans against African-Americans and Jews.

They must be condemned, and defeated, in the press, on the streets, in the classrooms, in the workplaces, and in the halls of government, from the highest levels in the White House to every town hall and union hall across the United States.

  On April 5th, over 70 community members gathered at BZBI for the First Annual Bobbi Willig Labor Seder. Rabbi Yosef Goldman led an inspired Seder and our panelists – Reverend Gregory Holston of POWER, Imam Kenneth Nuriddin of Philadelphia Masjid, Cathryn Miller-Wilson of HIAS-PA, Gabe Morgan, and Pedro Cabezas, both of SEIU 32BJ shared their thoughts on the evening’s theme of “Resistance” from their perspectives as activists and organizers.

We are grateful to our friends from the Law Firm of Willig, Williams, and Davidson for their generous support of the event.

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Thursday, November 10 (Philadelphia) – Today, the Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee released the following statement:

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist and Anti-Semitic graffiti that recently appeared in South Philadelphia. It is horrifying to see swastikas and other symbols of hate appear in our community, especially in the vibrant multicultural neighborhood where this occurred. We are thankful to local law enforcement officials for taking this incident very seriously and encourage anyone with information to come forward to help catch the perpetrator. “We cannot help but note that this apparent hate crime in Philadelphia occurred on the anniversary of Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass. This was one of the first large organized attacks on Jews living throughout Nazi Germany in 1938. The symmetry of these two dates raises chilling questions about the direction of our nation.

“We do not know if this is an isolated incident or part of a frightening national trend. However, it is clear to us that the troubling rhetoric used by some in the recent presidential election has emboldened individuals who identify with hate groups and white supremacist ideology. This behavior has no place in an open, inclusive, and just society. It must be strongly confronted at every possible opportunity by all people who support freedom, democracy, and common decency.

“The Jewish Labor Committee was founded over 80 years ago to oppose the spread of fascism and Nazism. We stand ready today to join with like-minded people from all backgrounds who are disgusted by rising bigotry and intolerance. It is vital that people of good conscience stand together in solidarity at this critical moment, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or ethnic background.”

The Philadelphia Jewish Labor Committee is dedicated to upholding and renewing the long-term commitment of the Philadelphia Jewish community to social justice and economic fairness. Learn more: PhillyJLC.org.

Contributed by John Mason, Friend of JLC

Workers at Verizon, who are members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have gone on strike for increased wages an end to the outsourcing of their jobs, and to continue  job security protections. Other demands include the continuation of benefits for workers injured on the job and an end to the company requiring its technicians work away from home, away from their families, for two month periods . This strike comes after ten months of negotiations with the company, which has made profits of $39 billion over the past three years.

These are the people who lay out the wires for the telephone and fiber-optic lines, and who repair the lines if they are damaged in all types of weather; who answer your call if you have a technical problem with your internet or cable; and who process the bills. They also have families to take care of, with their own bills and groceries to pay for. These are the people who really make Verizon work, not the CEOs or hedge fund managers. They have come together to fight for their rights and their benefits, for themselves and future generations of workers, just as workers have done in the past.

To find out what you can do for Verizon workers, contact:

CWA Local 13000

2124 Race street, 3rd floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215)564-6169

(fax) (215)564-2520

http://cwalocal13000.org

Contributed by John Mason, Friend of the PJLC

Pesach (Passover) is the retelling of the liberation of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. We are taught in the Hagaddah to experience the slavery and redemption as if we are going through the experience is our own time.

The story of Pesach and the Exodus resonates throughout the world in various cultures, particularly in the African-American tradition and the movement from slavery to freedom. Over the centuries, the Seder has been adapted to several themes concerning the various liberation struggles in history, while maintaining the traditional order and lessons.  Along with the traditional Seder, there have been Seders for secular Israeli kibbutzim, Seders concerning the experiences of LGBT people, Feminist Seders, the Freedom Seder of Arthur Waskow in the wake of the protest movements in the Sixties, and his Eco-Seder concerning the environment.

The Labor Seder of the Jewish Labor Committee follows this tradition. It points out that many of the great Talmudic rabbis worked for a living, as such trades as woodcutter, locksmith, shoemaker, carpenter and baker. It also reminds us that the ancient Israelites suffered from oppressive working conditions and taskmasters, just as many workers around the world today. In the JLC Labor Hagaddah we are called to reflect on the labor struggles in America’s past and present, just as we are taught to be conscious of the slavery our ancestors endured.

On Wednesday, April 27th, the Philadelphia chapter of the Jewish Labor Committee will hold its annual Labor Seder in partnership with Kol Tzedek Synagogue at the Calvary Center for Community and Culture, on 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. The theme will be “Welcoming the Stranger,” and we will discuss the refugee crisis facing the world. Joining us will be Judi Bernstein Baker, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania branch of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS- PA) and Zaid Hatoum, Resettlement Case Manager, also of HIAS-PA.  The suggested donation is $18.00 but no one will be turned away. Sponsors of the event include Amalgamated Bank, Communication Workers of America, Philadelphia Joint board of Workers United SEIU, UFCW Local 1776, and the law firm Meranze Katz Gaudioso & Newlin.

If you are interested in attending or supporting the Seder or would like more information on the work of JLC, please contact Michael Hersch, Director of the Philadelphia JLC, at 215-668-5454, or e-mail mhersch@comcast.net

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Alice Hoffman was a force of nature, she was a woman who dedicated her life to the labor movement and the pursuit of social justice. Her...

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