“Solidarity Forever” by Jewish songwriter and labor activist, Joe Glazer
In celebration of Labor Day, we’ve created a special edition of The Gathering that explores the rich Jewish tradition of advocating for workers’ rights. In every incarnation of Jewish law, we can see expectations of fair labor practices, from the importance of rest to protection against wage theft. It is clear throughout that we are required to hold a communal responsibility for ensuring that all work is seen and valued, and this fundamental belief was one of the reasons that so many Jews were a part of the powerful labor organizing of the early 20th century. That labor movement is why many of us now have weekends, 8-hour work days, the federal minimum wage, and life-saving job safety and child labor laws. While these gains were tremendous, they happened almost 100 years ago. The modern workplace—and the needs of its workers—have changed considerably, especially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After decades of decline, we’re finally seeing a revival in union membership across many industries, including the nonprofit sector. This past March, Avodah’s staff were moved to form a union as an extension of Avodah’s mission of creating a more just and liberated world and to further align the organization with its core values of tzedek (justice) and chevrutah (collaboration).
In this newsletter, you’ll find blessings, interactive experiences, Jewish teachings, and educational materials for you to deepen your understanding and relationship with labor, and advocate for the rights of workers in your own community.
Recommendations
Article
The Jewish Case for Unions
The Workers Circle, a Jewish organization that has advocated for workers’ rights since 1900, offers five ways you can actively support union organizing.
Museum Exhibition
National Museum of American Jewish History, “Making a Living” Virtual Tour
Explore the NMAJH’s exhibition on the conditions that many Jewish immigrants had to endure to make a living in the 19th and 20th centuries and how their activism changed the work landscape for generations to come. Note: Use the dropdown menu in the upper right corner to skip to the “Making a Living” sections.
Blessing
Blessing for Labour Day Monday
“May we refine our hearing. And unwrap our own righteousness. Toward the work of justice for all people.” Visual poet, rabbinical student, and author Devon Spier writes a blessing for those whose labors have been unrewarded.
Teaching
Excerpt from Living Wage Teshuvah
“The ideal worker-employer relationship should be one of trusted partnership, in which each party looks out for the well-being of the other…” Rabbi Jill Jacobs writes guidelines for Jewish institutions and business owners to integrate their Jewish practice with their workplace practices.
D’Var Torah
Crushing the Body & Spirit: Egyptian Slavery & Jewish Labor Law
Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein, Avodah’s National Educator, Chicago Justice Fellowship Director, and member of Avodah’s union organizing committee, writes a d’var Torah (commentary on Torah portion) for Parashat Ki Tavo that encourages us to “herald a world of purposeful, meaningful, fair, and bounded labor for all sentient beings.”
Article
Bigger Than Amazon: Why nonprofit unionizing matters
After dedicating their careers to social and political change, nonprofit workers are advocating for their own rights through labor organizing, with the hope that their organizations will see that the treatment of their employees needs to be a core part of their missions.
Lesson Plans for Educators
Living the Legacy Labor Lessons
These eight lesson plans weave stories of immigration and collective action together with traditional Jewish texts to create a rich investigation of Jewish involvement in the American Labor Movement.
We Have Found You Wanting: Labor Activism and Communal Responsibility
This lesson plan takes a look at Rose Schneiderman’s legacy as a lifelong advocate of workers and of women and explores our communal and individual responsibilities for the well-being of others in our midst.
What Will It Cost Me to Work for You?
Through learning about Judaism’s views on labor, as well as about Jewish women in the labor movement, students will explore realistic responses to unfair labor conditions in the US and overseas today.
