Fighting for Freedom and Tradition

As Jews, we come from a rich history of struggle, resilience, and self-determination. From the ancient resistance to foreign empires to the modern fight for justice in our own land, the Jewish experience is deeply intertwined with the fight for freedom.

In this space, I'll be writing about how we can blend our Jewish identity with leftist ideals, sharing thoughts on activism, culture, and community.

From Ashes to Action: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Jewish Labor Organizing, and the Fight for Workers’ Rights Today

By Chaya Feldstein

On this day, March 25, 2025, we mark the 114th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. We remember the 146 workers—mostly young Jewish and Italian immigrant women—who lost their lives in this preventable tragedy. Their deaths were a stark reminder of the human cost of greed and exploitation. May their memory be a blessing (זיכרונן לברכה ), and may we honor them by continuing the fight for justice, dignity, and workers’ rights.

On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Within minutes, the blaze engulfed the building, trapping hundreds of workers inside. Many jumped to their deaths from the windows, while others perished in the flames or suffocated in the smoke. By the time the fire was extinguished, 146 people—mostly young Jewish and Italian immigrant women—had lost their lives. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history, and it exposed the brutal realities of unchecked capitalism and worker exploitation.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was not just a tragedy; it was a turning point. It galvanized the labor movement, ignited public outrage, and led to sweeping reforms that transformed workplace safety and workers’ rights. Over a century later, the lessons of the fire remain deeply relevant as workers across the country continue to fight for dignity, safety, and fair treatment. For Jewish leftists, the fire is also a reminder of the power of collective action and the enduring relevance of Jewish values in the struggle for justice. From an anarchist perspective, it underscores the dangers of centralized power and the necessity of grassroots, worker-led movements to dismantle oppressive systems.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire did not occur in a vacuum. It was the product of an economic system that prioritized profit over people, and it took place in an industry dominated by immigrant labor. At the time, New York’s garment industry was a hub of Jewish and Italian workers, many of whom had fled poverty and persecution in Europe only to find themselves working in sweatshops for meager wages.

Jewish immigrants played a central role in the early 20th-century labor movement. Organizations like the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) and the Workmen’s Circle (Arbeter Ring) were founded by Jewish workers who sought to improve their conditions through collective action. These groups were deeply influenced by Jewish values such as tzedek (justice) and kavod (dignity), which emphasized the moral imperative to fight for fairness and respect in the workplace. Anarchist thinkers like Emma Goldman and Rudolf Rocker , who were also part of the Jewish labor movement, critiqued the limitations of reformist unions and called for a more radical restructuring of society. They envisioned a world where workers controlled their workplaces directly, free from the exploitation of bosses and the state.

The ILGWU, in particular, was a driving force behind the labor struggles of the era. In 1909, thousands of garment workers—many of them Jewish women—went on strike in what became known as the Uprising of the 20,000 . Led by fiery organizers like Clara Lemlich , the strikers demanded better pay, shorter hours, and safer working conditions. While the strike achieved some gains, the Triangle fire two years later revealed how much work remained to be done. Anarchists within the movement argued that true liberation could only come through the abolition of capitalism and the creation of a decentralized, cooperative economy.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a wake-up call for the nation. The sheer scale of the tragedy—and the fact that it could have been prevented—sparked widespread outrage. Over 100,000 people attended the victims’ funeral procession, and mass protests erupted across the city. Jewish labor leaders like Rose Schneiderman delivered impassioned speeches, demanding accountability and reform.

In the wake of the fire, New York State established the Factory Investigating Commission , which conducted a sweeping review of workplace conditions and recommended dozens of reforms. These included mandatory fire drills, unlocked exit doors, and improved ventilation systems. The commission’s work laid the groundwork for modern labor laws and set a precedent for government intervention in workplace safety.

While these reforms were significant, anarchist critics pointed out their limitations. They argued that relying on the state to protect workers would never address the root causes of exploitation. Instead, they called for direct action and mutual aid —strategies that empowered workers to take control of their own struggles. This perspective was exemplified by groups like the Jewish Anarchist Federation , which organized strikes, distributed propaganda, and built community networks to support workers outside the framework of state-sanctioned unions.

More than a century after the Triangle fire, workers in the United States still face many of the same challenges. Exploitation of low-wage and immigrant labor remains widespread, and unsafe working conditions persist in industries ranging from agriculture to tech. The rise of the gig economy has created a new class of precarious workers who lack basic protections like minimum wage and overtime pay.

Yet, just as in 1911, workers are fighting back. In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of union organizing across the country. Workers at Starbucks , Amazon , and Trader Joe’s have unionized in record numbers, while Hollywood writers and actors have gone on strike to demand fair compensation and protections against artificial intelligence. These movements echo the struggles of the past and demonstrate the enduring power of collective action.

From an anarchist perspective, these modern labor struggles highlight the importance of autonomy and direct democracy. Traditional unions, while valuable, often operate within hierarchical structures that can stifle worker agency. Anarchist labor organizing, by contrast, emphasizes horizontal decision-making and grassroots mobilization. This approach is evident in movements like the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) , which seeks to create "one big union" that is controlled by workers themselves.

For Jewish leftists, the Triangle fire is not just a historical event; it is a call to action. Jewish teachings on justice ( tzedek ), dignity ( kavod ), and collective responsibility ( kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh ) provide a moral framework for supporting workers’ rights. These values remind us that we have a responsibility to stand with the oppressed and to work toward a more just and equitable society.

Anarchist principles align closely with these Jewish values, particularly in their emphasis on mutual aid and community solidarity. The concept of tzedakah (charity) can be expanded to include not just individual acts of giving, but also collective efforts to redistribute power and resources. Anarchist Jews have long been at the forefront of such efforts, from the early 20th-century labor movement to contemporary struggles for housing justice and climate action.

As we look to the future, there are concrete steps we can take to honor the legacy of the Triangle fire and support modern labor movements:

1. Join or Support Grassroots Unions: Seek out unions and worker collectives that prioritize direct democracy and worker autonomy, such as the IWW or local tenant unions.
2. Engage in Direct Action: Participate in strikes, boycotts, and other forms of direct action that challenge exploitative systems and empower workers.
3. Build Mutual Aid Networks: Create community-based support systems that provide resources and solidarity to workers in need, outside the framework of state or corporate control.
4. Advocate for Radical Change: Push for policies that dismantle hierarchical power structures and create space for worker self-management, such as cooperatives and community land trusts.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a tragedy, but it was also a catalyst for change. It reminded us of the power of collective action and the importance of fighting for justice. As we face new challenges in the 21st century, the lessons of the fire remain as relevant as ever.

In the words of Rose Schneiderman , a Jewish labor leader who fought tirelessly for workers’ rights: "The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too." Let us honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the Triangle fire by continuing the fight for a world where all workers can live with dignity, safety, and hope. And let us do so not through reliance on oppressive systems, but through the power of grassroots organizing, mutual aid, and radical solidarity.

The Bund and the Question of Zionism: What Can Leftist Jews Learn Today?

By Chaya Feldstein

The General Jewish Labour Bund, founded in 1897 in the Russian Empire, was one of the most significant Jewish socialist movements of the 20th century. It fought for Jewish workers' rights, cultural autonomy, and socialism while rejecting both Zionism and assimilation. The Bundists believed in doykayt —“hereness”—the idea that Jewish liberation had to be fought for wherever Jews lived, rather than through emigration to Palestine. Through a vast network of unions, schools, mutual aid organizations, and self-defense groups, the Bund played a key role in revolutionary struggles and resistance against fascism.

In an era of rising antisemitism and political uncertainty, leftist Jews today can still learn from the Bund’s legacy.

Yiddishkeit as Resistance

The Bund championed Jewish culture as a revolutionary force. It published Yiddish newspapers, ran secular Jewish schools, and promoted a distinctly Jewish socialism that rejected both religious orthodoxy and assimilation into non-Jewish society. Today, as Jewish identity is flattened and commodified, reclaiming our languages, histories, and traditions on our own terms is an act of defiance.

Workers’ Struggle is a Jewish Struggle

The Bund organized Jewish workers into strong unions and emphasized class struggle as central to Jewish liberation. In a world where Jews are both exploited and used as scapegoats, a renewed Jewish labor movement must stand against capitalism and antisemitism alike.

Antifascism is Self-Defense

The Bund understood that Jewish liberation required self-defense. It organized against pogroms in Tsarist Russia and later played a key role in anti-Nazi resistance, particularly in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Jewish antifascism today must go beyond slogans—it must be about community defense, building strong networks, and refusing to let history repeat itself.

Solidarity Without Erasure

The Bund worked alongside non-Jewish leftists while maintaining a distinctly Jewish movement. In contemporary leftist spaces, Jews often face pressure to downplay or erase their Jewishness. The Bund offers another path: one where we bring our full selves to the struggle.

The Bund and Zionism After the Holocaust

But for all its strengths, the Bund’s total rejection of Zionism became less tenable after the Holocaust. Before the war, the Bund’s commitment to doykayt made sense—Jewish communities thrived across Eastern Europe, and the movement believed Jewish workers could secure their rights through class struggle. After the Shoah, however, those communities were gone, and the few Jews who remained found themselves in hostile postwar societies.

Yet even in the face of this devastation, the Bund refused to reconsider Zionism, even as Jewish survivors flooded into Palestine because they had nowhere else to go. The Soviet Union—once an inspiration for Bundists—turned against Jewish autonomy, with Stalinist purges targeting Yiddish culture and Jewish intellectuals. The Bund, once a powerful political force, found itself increasingly irrelevant.

Even if the Bund had embraced Zionism, it likely would not have supported the statist, militarized version that emerged under Ben-Gurion. A Bundist Zionism might have emphasized worker-led self-governance, Yiddish cultural autonomy, and binational cooperation with Palestinian workers. But the movement was too deeply tied to its origins to make such a pivot, and by the time it could have, it was already fading from history.

The Bund’s story is not just one of failure but of possibility. Its rejection of Zionism was a mistake, but so too was the Zionism that won. A Bundist-inflected Zionism—diasporic, socialist, and rooted in Jewish cultural self-determination—never got the chance to exist.

Maybe that’s something we can still build.