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Our Executive Director Ann Toback on why it is critical that the Jewish community rise up and "address the economic inequality that along with historic racism and anti-Semitism is the breeding ground for the disingenuous appeal of fascism and white supremacism in the United States."

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We are so proud to announce that this morning our Director of Social Justice Larry Moskowitz was honored at the Corporate Social Responsibility Labor & Law Awards! Mazel Tov, Larry!

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Leshone Toyve from the Workmen’s Circle! How will you be celebrating 5778? Sound off below! 

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A zis yor indeed!

*slams reblog*

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From Lilith Magazine: Head of Workmen’s Circle on Strike Solidarity, Yiddish, and Fighting Fascism this Labor Day

“AD: Labor Day is only a few weeks from High Holidays this year. What lessons do you think we should be taking into 5778?

AT: This New Year, when our Jewish community gathers together, we must contemplate a world full of both significant challenges and real opportunities to join together and effect change. There are endless issues for us to work on, and many different approaches for activism. At the Workmen’s Circle I have outlined our priorities; other organizations will have equally important, though different priorities. We all must acknowledge that different foci on change does not negate the importance of other activism. There are so many issues that require protection and activism; no one person or one organization can hope to cover our society’s entire need for change. We must unite around the goal of resistance to this massive, right wing offensive. Ultimately, our strength to yield real change will lie in effective base-building over individual actions. I am hopeful that 5778 will present us in the Jewish community the chance to build a major coalition and together act against the intolerance and hate that is emanating from the highest levels of our government today. Only through a strong, united effort will we be able to effect change at every level.”

Read more here: http://lilith.org/blog/2017/09/head-of-workmens-circle-on-strike-solidarity-yiddish-and-fighting-fascism-this-labor-day/?link_id=0&can_id=d18378b82cc7b77758c8f4efc7d83929&source=email-read-lilithcoms-qa-with-executive-director-ann-toback-and-join-us-for-the-labor-day-parade-on-september-9th&email_referrer&email_subject=read-lilithcoms-qa-with-executive-director-ann-toback-and-join-us-for-the-labor-day-parade-on-september-9th

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We were so proud to march with our fellow New Yorkers yesterday to #DefendDACA!

Immigrants and advocates rally in support of DACA

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to rescind an Obama-era policy that protects nearly 600,000 immigrants who entered the country illegally as children, but plans to let them stay until their work permits expire, a senior administration official said on Thursday.

Trump’s decision could be announced as early as Friday but could also come next week, the official said.

Trump had pledged on the election campaign trail to scrap all of former President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or “Dreamers,” program.  (Reuters)

Here’s a look at some recent protests.

(Photos: Joe Penney/Reuters [2], Jacquelyn Martin/AP, Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

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See more images from the rallies and our other photo galleries on Yahoo News.

Follow us on Twitter.

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Hey, #RiteAid #Walgreens: #DoTheRiteThing! Workers deserve quality healthcare & good jobs. Stop the #UnionBusting! http://thndr.me/2mYrVc

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Here Are the Jewish People

Western popular concepts of Jews that people here take as the extent of our tribe:

The reality:

Boys from the Jewish population of Yemen, which has been around for 2500 hundred years but has been slowly massacred over the past few generations.

The Lemba of South Africa and Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe in particular has a large and VERY long history with their Jewish Community)

The Abayudaya of Uganda, some of the great Jewish musicians

The Beta Israeli of Ethiopia

Igbo Jews of Nigeria

Cochin Jews of India 

Baghdadi Jews

Kaifeng Jews of China, who go back to the 7th or 8th century. Unfortunately, during the 20th century much of their culture was almost wiped out and the Kaifeng are currently working to rediscover their Jewish heritage and culture.

Jewish Children in Puerto Rico (Jews have been in Puerto Rico since the 15th century, many fleeing from the Inquisition)

The Beit Shalom Choir in Japan

Kosher comes in all colors, from all over the world, and in a variety cultural groups. We’re a small portion of the human population, but we have EVERYONE. We are all members of this tribe.

Because stereotypes are bullshit.

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EMERGENCY Health Care Vigils

What:  EMERGENCY Health Care Vigils When:  Wednesday, June 28th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm Where:  NYC - Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, across from federal building at 26 Federal Plaza Look For Workmen’s Circle Signs and Stand with Us!

Tomorrow the Senate starts debating the Republican’s new (and very destructive) health care bill.  Conceived under the cloak of secrecy, we now know that it is really a Trump/Republican tax cut for the wealthy, poorly disguised as a new health care plan.  The worst of this is that it will take away critical health coverage from those who need it most—the Congressional  Budget Office just estimated that 22 million people will lose coverage if this bill passes, with the poor and the elderly the hardest hit.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on this bill by the end of this week. NOW IS THE TIME FOR URGENT ACTION. We at the Workmen’s Circle have long fought for healthcare for all.  We must stand up now and fight this “healthcare only for the rich” plan.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, June 28th, vigils against this bill are scheduled to happen all over the country, starting with a "Hands Around The Capital" event in Washington DC.

In NYC there will be an important action from 5:30-7:30pm in Foley Square in lower Manhattan.

The Workmen's Circle will be there, standing together with hundreds of other participating organizations. We urge all of you to join us in NYC or at a local event. Please forward this email and invite your family, friends and co-workers to join us in this fight to save our health care protections.

In Foley Square, look for the Workmen's Circle signs. For other vigils around the country please contact LMoskowitz@circle.org to find out about activities near you.

NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UP AND ACT TO SAVE HEALTH CARE.  

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This past Monday, over 75 of our Life Members gathered to listen as acclaimed playwright Paula Vogel discussed her masterful play Indecent on Broadway, which is up for three Tony Awards (including one for Best Play) this coming Sunday!

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A May Day of Activism!

Two weeks ago, we joined thousands of people across our country who were rising up and demanding an end to the Trump Administration’s racist and unjust policies!

We stood in the shadow of massive May Day Mobilizations, which date back to 1886 in Chicago, when workers called for a general strike in support of an eight-hour workday. Soon after, it was adopted by workers throughout the world, becoming a global worker holiday by 1890, and was a regular day of worker action into the mid-1900’s.

Eleven years ago, in 2006, May Day was revived by the immigrant rights community, and immigrant and union activists have continued to stand together on May 1st each year.

The Workmen’s Circle’s progressive Jewish community was proud in 2017 to be standing strong across the United States with a coalition of immigrant rights and labor organizations, all of us responding to an urgent call to action—as we have done since our founding more than a century ago–when we ourselves were a new immigrant community rising up each May Day.

As I said when speaking from the stage before thousands of people gathered on Foley Square this month: When he seeks to divide, we rise up to unite.

The oppression that the President and his administration are spreading harms us all! But it is especially cruel to our immigrant community with its ongoing threat to tear apart families. And we can never forget the terrible impact it is having on immigrant children, many of whom are living in constant fear of being separated from their parents.

Standing beside me on the stage in Foley Square were three students from our Workmen’s Circle Midtown School. I was so proud to introduce Ben, a fifth grader in our school, who spoke passionately—to a crowd of more than 10,000 activists—in support for our immigrant brothers and sisters. Ben’s speech—which you can see in this video—was simply inspiring.

As we said from the stage, we will fight Trump’s attacks on immigrants and his inhumane deportation orders. We will fight his attempt to build a border wall and close our borders to those who need us most. We will fight his attacks on our right to collectively bargain. And, we will fight at every turn his agenda of hatred and exclusion.

This May Day, we delivered a message that we will continue to rise up against intolerance, divisiveness and hatred: We are not backing down! We are here to resist and resist and resist—today, tomorrow, next week, and next month. As long as it takes.

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74 years ago today, Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto—many in their teens and twenties—launched a sustained guerrilla battle in response to a planned mass deportation to the death camps.

They fought without hope of victory, but with the goal that they would not die in silence. Poorly armed and supplied, they managed to hold off the German army from April 19th to May 16th. It was the largest single revolt by the Jews during the Holocaust.

Their incredible heroism still resonates, and charges us to live lives that pay tribute to their resistance and sacrifice.

May their memories forever be a blessing and inspiration to us all.

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Matzapalooza Helps Families Prepare for Passover and Learn More about its Holiday Traditions 

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/04/2/matzapalooza-helps-families-prepare-for-passover-and-learn-more-about-its-holiday-traditions.html

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#WeStandWithPP

#PinkOut for Planned Parenthood TODAY! 

Anti-women’s health members of Congress haven’t given up their aim to “defund” Planned Parenthood health centers and block patients from accessing care. But we’re not letting them threaten Planned Parenthood patients’ health care, our rights, or our communities.

Today we’re showing the strength for our movement and showing up. 

How can you #PinkOut with us?

Join the Thunderclap >>

Add your support on social so millions of people will see us #PinkOut. The Thunderclap will go off at 12 pm ET today to make sure no one misses our message.

Wear Pink >>

Check out the Marketplace for pink swag that will let everyone know you stand with Planned Parenthood and the communities they serve.

Share a #PinkOut Selfie >>

Wear pink or your favorite t-shirt supporting our health, rights or communities and post it using #PinkOut or #IStandWithPP.

#PinkOut your Profile >> 

Add a special filter to your profile picture to show everyone where you stand.

Take the Pledge >> 

Sign on, and we’ll share your #IStandWithPP petition with Congress.

Help us turn the nationwide support for Planned Parenthood into action. Let’s flood social media with messages of #IStandWithPP on #PinkOut Day so no one can forget where we stand. 

For more, go to istandwithpp.org/PinkOut

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One step forward, a thousand steps backwards. Donald Trump hasn’t got the excuse of ignorance. He’s either genuinely an idiot, or a very bad person.

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“The most well-known of them, the “Driter Seder” (Third Seder), which takes place during the intermediate days of Passover, was popularized in New York by the Workmen’s Circle. The Workmen’s Circle’s Yiddish-language Haggadah is still widely used (sometimes partially, sometimes in its entirety) at public cultural seders, and by alumni of the secular Yiddish schools and summer camps.”

Read more: http://forward.com/yiddish/366857/yiddish-cultural-seders-provide-alternative-way-to-celebrate-exodus-from-eg/

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Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Today, the Workmen’s Circle commemorated the 106th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire at a ceremony at the site of the fire near Washington Square Park, at which I spoke and called upon our New York State and local elected officials to “pass State and City laws to ensure that New York City remains a sanctuary city and New York is a sanctuary state.” Here are my full remarks:

Read more here: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58d5709ce4b06c3d3d3e6d74