What is the Jewish Labor Committee?
What is the JLC?
The Jewish Labor Committee, an independent secular organization, is the voice of the Jewish community in the labor movement and the voice of the labor movement in the Jewish community. Whether through its national office in New York or local offices and lay-led groups across the United States, the JLC enables the Jewish community and the trade union movement to work together on important issues of shared interest and concern, in pursuit of our shared commitment to economic and social justice.
Our national headquarters are in New York City; we have staffed local/regional offices in Boston, MA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; and Los Angeles, CA -- and volunteer-led JLC or JLC-affiliated groups in such places as Detroit, MI; Washington, DC; Cleveland, OH; Miami, FL; and elsewhere.
When was it formed?
The Jewish Labor Committee was formed in February, 1934, by Yiddish-speaking immigrant trade union leaders, and leaders of such groups as the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, the Jewish Labor Bund, and the United Hebrew Trades, in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany.
A four-page history of the JLC can be found here:
70 Years Strong: The Jewish Labor Committee Story
An excellent introduction to the Holocaust-era history of the JLC can be found online at:
LABOR AND THE HOLOCAUST:
The Jewish Labor Committee and the Anti-Nazi Struggle
About this website.
This website is a work in progress. We're including basic information on the organization, recent activities, contact information for JLC around the United States, basic readings on the Jewish Labor Movement, as well as the U.S. trade union movement in general, and links to other relevant websites.
You will also find a page called "Join the JLC!"
You are cordially invited to join our organization. Every member helps us in our activities, one way or the other.
Final note: if you have any questions about the JLC, please do not hesitate to contact us.
E-mail might be easiest: info@jewishlabor.org