Today, many on the Jewish left see Jewish politics and Labor politics as fundamentally distinct; however, for decades beginning in the mid 19th century, specifically Jewish labor movements thrived across the diaspora. Due to a variety of factors, these were largely integrated into their national movements, and ceased to have an identity of their own by the mid-20th century. Nevertheless, Jews continue to play an active role in Labor struggles around the world. Is there a place for a new Jewish labor movement in the 21st century?
To start exploring this question, we spoke with Laurie Debeni, a Jewish Labor organizer active in Poland. This is the first episode in a (at least) two-part series about the intersection of Jewish diasporist and labor politics. As we dream of and work toward building a better world, we believe that re-integrating these disparate fields of progressive politics can mutually strengthen the movements as they struggle for social transformation. As socialists, we cannot forget that "the cause of labor is the hope of the world."
We'd like to once again thank Dan Nichols for allowing us to use his music for our intro and outro. Check out his work here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gkNgLMQGE2fM2pFHlrzTy?si=_WykDF0rRHK8YEokhVeXAQ
If you like what we're doing and would like to support our work, consider becoming a monthly donor on Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheJewishDiasporist
