“Di Linke: the Yiddish Immigrant Left from Popular Front to Cold War”: ILGWU/Jewish Labor Committee (JLC)

David Dubinsky, president of the ILGWU from 1932 - 1966, was a founder and treasurer of the Jewish Labor Committee, supporting their work through fundraising campaigns and refugee relief during and after World War II.

During the war, Dubinsky worked with president of the AFL, William Green, to accept a list of 1,000 refugees compiled by JLC from war torn Europe. During his tenure, Dubinsky assisted with raising funds needed for the Jewish Labor Committee's work, raising $65,391 in 1942 and $50,000 in 1943. He also worked closely during the post war period to assist the JLC with raising money for nearly 1,000 displaced children ravaged by the war, collaborating on a Child Adoption Program where individuals or groups could "adopt" children, providing food, clothes, and gifts for a year. After the war, 500 displaced adults were even given positions in ILGWU locals thanks to visas awarded to JLC and Dubinsky's assistance with finding work for the displaced immigrants in the ranks of the ILGWU.

After working as general counsel for the Textile Workers of America, James Lipsig served as Assistant Executive Secretary of the ILGWU for thirty years. Throughout his career, Lipsig also served as secretary of the Socialist Party of New York State, as board member of the Jewish Labor Committee, the National Sharecroppers' Fund and the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory, and as a consultant to the Workers Defense League.

This collection highlights Lipsig's work on the Jewish Labor Committee including correspondence, minutes, news clippings, rally information and materials pertaining to the JCL's Anti-Discrimination Department, New York Civil Rights Affairs, National Trade Union Council for Human Rights.

Includes JLC materials from 1942-1946 including correspondence with Jacob Pat, David Dubinsky, information about Nelson's resignation from JLC in November 1947, and related JLC articles.

Charles S. Zimmerman, labor leader, political activist, and officer, International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Charles Zimmerman was born in Russia in 1896 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1913. He worked in the New York garment industry and joined ILGWU Local 22; shortly thereafter, he became its secretary-manager. Throughout the 1920s, Zimmerman was an active member of the Communist Party, which affiliation cost him his union leadership positions in 1925. By 1931, however, he was reinstated in the ILGWU and was elected a vice-president in 1934.

Zimmerman's Jewish Labor Committee materials include international correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, information about the Women's Division of JCL, and information about his trip to Europe in 1945-1946 representative of the Jewish Labor Committee on invitation of the Norwegian Labor Federation of labor organizations of Sweden and Denmark. His trip information includes investigations and reports of con­ditions in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, France and England.

This collection contains Jewish Labor Committee materials from 1939 to 1954 including minutes, notes, reports, correspondence, and committees relating to Improved Human Relations, Combat intolerance, Combat Anti-Semitism, and Minority Discrimination.

This collection contains JLC correspondence, draft resolutions, statements, speeches by I. Nagler and Daniel Mayer, war orphan project, and European trip reports from 1947-1952.