The Forward Celebrates their Labor Legacy

[Omaha Steve]

http://jspot.org/?p=1105

The Forward Celebrates their Labor Legacy

The Forward Celebrates their Labor Legacy
by Jeremy Burton • April 6th, 2007 • Economic Justice, Jewish Life

The Forward celebrates its 110th birthday this week with a special anniversary issue and takes the opportunity to pay special tribute to their heritage as a tribune of the labor movement.

Tony Michels writes that:

The men and women who founded the Jewish Daily Forward were not business people out to make a buck. They were socialist intellectuals and labor activists who wanted to create a new tribune for Yiddish-speaking workers…

(Editor Abe) Cahan possessed an unshakable commitment to the Jewish working class. “Workers of the World Unite” stood proudly on the masthead…

During its early years, the Forverts owed its existence to labor and socialist groups. When the Forverts had trouble paying its gas bill, the Workmen’s Circle opened its wallet. When printing costs grew formidable, Voice of Labor organized a masquerade ball to raise funds. More than 10,000 people attended the first one in 1898. Their inventive costumes affirmed the socialist cause. One woman sported a dress adorned with socialist newspapers. Another came as “the angel of social democracy.” Still others showed up as wounded strikers and evicted tenants.

After the Forverts became profitable, it repaid its debts to the labor movement. Between 1911 and 1915 alone, the Forverts donated more than $20,000 to unions, socialist groups and other left-wing newspapers. During strikes, it coordinated huge public fund-raising campaigns: $25,000 for the Furriers, $50,000 for the Ladies Waist Makers, $60,000 for the Cloak Makers.

Forverts staff members spoke at union rallies, raised money and covered labor events in close detail. Editorials, reportage, announcements and organizational reports filled the pages. “The workers, the great masses, feel a certain gratitude to this newspaper,” a union stalwart wrote in 1917. “This is the only source from which the workers get their information.” Sometimes the Forverts took the lead in planning strikes months in advance.

FULL story at link.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. My father used to read to me

in Yiddish, no less. Then it went to English ...

[Omaha Steve]

2. Glad to meet you Fredda

One of the best Democrats and pro labor fiends I have in the world is Jewish. Jim Wishner is a true friend of the working people. He was the first news to cover the story when I was fired for union organizing over 25 years ago. I remember the first time I posted a story from a Jewish paper about the problems with Smithfield Packing in our group before it was upgraded to a forum.
There was also the story I posted about Jewish groups honoring the picker lines in Boston just a few weeks ago. :-) Welcome to our forum.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. The history of labor organization is hard to find

but inspiring. Thank you for being part of it.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I haven't gotten over how The Forward sold its radio station, WEVD, named

after Eugene Victor Debs, formed in the memory of his death ca. 1927. The station was sold to ABC/Disney which converted it to the flagship station of ESPN radio. It went off the air at midnight September 1, 2001. Eleven days later, the WTC was attacked, and the station was so absent.

Symbolically, it hurts. I know that the paper claimed it was losing money and needed the proceeds to keep it going. I would have kept the station and scaled back on the paper.