Jewish Labor Committee

Photo courtesy CAIR-NY

September 10, NYC: Hundreds of supporters of the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero gathered this evening near the site in Lower Manhattan, where they lit candles, sang and prayed on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The participants of the vigil, organized by the `New York Neighbors for American Values' coalition, said they came to show solidarity with the plan to build the Park51 Islamic Center on Park Place, about two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The project has sparked fierce debate in recent weeks about whether it was appropriate to build such a facility so near the "hallowed ground" of the trade center's fallen twin towers, and it has prompted fears among some that anti-Islam sentiment is on the rise in the United States.

Organizers said they decided to hold the gathering a day before the Sept. 11 anniversary so that Saturday could remain a day of solemn mourning for those killed in the attacks nine years ago.

You can read the entire article, "Near Ground Zero, mosque supporters gather to show their support," in The Washington Post, from which this was adapted, here. And you can read the statement "In Support of the Cordoba Initiative / Park 51 / Muslim Cultural Center," by Stuart Appelbaum and Martin Schwartz, President and Executive Director, respectively, of the Jewish Labor Committee, here.

The `New York Neighbors for American Values' noted in a public statement:
"We have come together on the eve of a great national tragedy that is also an important date in both the Muslim and Jewish traditions. Tonight is the end of a month-long period of reflection and self-challenge in the Muslim tradition and falls at the beginning of a similar period of reflection and self-challenge in the Jewish tradition. So it is particularly fitting, on the eve of September 11 that we gather to ask all Americans to make this week-end not only a time of mourning and remembrance, but also a time of reflection and self-challenge. We call on all Americans to reflect on what was attacked on September 11, and what it means to be an American. We live in a nation that has a proud history of religious freedom and freedom of speech and assembly. We call on all Americans to challenge ourselves to live up to the core values embodied in our constitution, to call on our higher and better selves to stand for the principles on which our country was founded and to help make real the American dream for people of all faiths and backgrounds. We want to mark this time as one to join together, in recommitment and quiet celebration of those core American values that have made our country great."

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 01:48 AM | Permalink

Stuart Appelbaum, President

This year, Labor Day falls during the same week as Rosh Hashana. While Labor Day may be considered by many to be the summer's last hurrah, or another shopping day, its original purpose was to honor the contribution that the labor movement has made to American society. Just as in the first week of the Jewish "Days of Awe" - from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, when we strive to make amends for interpersonal sins, and hope that we can do better in the year to come - we can and should see Labor Day as a time to reflect, and to become better, by respecting and honoring those who labor.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated back in 1882 in New York City, and soon spread to communities across the country. Twelve years later, in the aftermath of the bloody 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland made it a priority to secure legislation making Labor Day a national holiday. It was indeed passed, unanimously, in Congress and signed into law six days after the end of the strike. For more than a century, all 50 states have made Labor Day a state holiday, originally devoted to "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community.

Throughout its history, the American labor movement has been standing up for the needs of working men and women and their families -- first and foremost in representing workers at the bargaining table, to secure decent contracts, decent working conditions, and decent benefits. The labor movement has secured benefits for all of us, not just union members - from the fight 75 years ago for Social Security, to the fight 45 years ago to establish Medicare, and most recently, in the struggle for health care reform. It was American unions who led the fight for minimum wage laws, and then for increases to keep up with the increased cost of living.

But this is not just about history - it is about today. The struggle to improve the lives of workers is just as necessary today as it was in earlier decades.

That's why the labor movement and its allies, including the Jewish Labor Committee, marched this year on Wall Street to call for government programs that focus on the working and living conditions of all workers, not just the CEOs of large corporations. That's why this past winter, more than 200 rabbis heeded our call and signed onto a petition vowing to boycott three Boston area hotels until the layoffs of the "Hyatt 100" were reversed; rabbis, cantors, and other Jewish communal leaders are committing themselves to continue the struggle to improve the working conditions of all hotel workers. That's why we fight against corporations such as Mott's, that, in spite of earning record profits, are trying to force their workers to accept wage and benefits cuts. That's why we advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, and march to end the abuses against farm workers who pick our fruits and vegetables, or factory workers who toil in sweatshops to make our clothes, whether they are union members or not.

This year, we urge that national, state and local priorities serve the needs of working people as well as those currently unemployed. Especially now, more government spending, targeted to create decent, well-paying jobs, is needed.

This year, let us work to pass meaningful government legislation, from a bill to guarantee paid sick leave for all workers to the Employee Free Choice Act. These can make real differences in the lives of working families. The Jewish Labor Committee is committed to doing everything possible to pass this much-needed legislation -- and we urge our members and friends to do the same.

Standing up for working families encompasses a range of strategies, and a range of possibilities. During 2010's Labor Day and as the Jewish New Year of 5771 begins, we hope that many in the Jewish community will join us as we roll up our sleeves to work with our partners -- in the trade union movement, within the Jewish community, and all who are determined to bring forth a society based on true economic justice and prosperity for all.

Posted by Arieh Lebowitz at 12:27 AM | Permalink