OPINION: Like our earliest trailblazers, we must never fear calling out antisemitism
The General Secretary of the GMB writes as his trade union passes a landmark motion on antisemitism
It is sometimes said that we carry our history behind us as a peacock carries his tail.
Proud and bright, the story of the GMB trade union speaks of courage in adversity, social justice and solidarity, and the fight against discrimination, disadvantage, and prejudice where – and whenever – they are to be found.
This was never more in evidence than in the struggles and lasting achievements of the groups of predominantly Jewish workers who came into the GMB through the amalgamation of numerous, comparatively small, unions in the tailoring and garment trade.
Indeed, the first Jewish trade union founded anywhere in the world was established in London, in 1874, by Lewis Smith, a Polish immigrant and veteran of the Paris Commune.
Like many of those he organised, he had fled Tsarist autocracy, the threat of conscription and of renewed pogroms, in search of greater social, political, and religious freedoms.
Though his Jewish Tailors’ Union lasted for only a few weeks, it blazed like a comet through London’s dark underworld of sweatshops, gangmasters, and exploitative landlords, bringing hope where none had been before in the form of agitation for higher wages, a limit on the working day, and dignity at work.
Its mantle was taken up, and amplified, by the creation of the United Garment Workers’ Union, in 1915, as the result of the merger of six different trade unions.
For the first time, Jewish and non-Jewish workers were united within a single organisation that represented women as well as men, and which recruited among all grades and specialisms.
Unsurprisingly, the union – and the National Union of Tailor and Garment Workers, which followed it – inherited a radical and diverse political culture. One where meetings were regularly held and silk banners painted in Yiddish, and where Orthodox Judaism and Socialism rubbed shoulders on the cutting room floor.
Activists such as Jacob Fine and Mick Mindel were among those who challenged and triumphed over Moseley’s home-grown fascists on the streets of London and Leeds.
This legacy of organising among new immigrant communities, and in small scale, sweated, workshops carries a heightened resonance in the present, as does our enduring legacy of standing-up to be counted in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism. Then, as now, an injury to one is an injury to us all.
That is why this year’s GMB Congress is seeking to reaffirm our commitment to the progressive cause and to recognising, and tackling, the disturbing rise in antisemitism across society.
It means taking measures – beginning with backing motions from the floor – to ensure that there will be no safe spaces for antisemites, whether inside or outside the ranks of our union.
A major part of this involves recognising the tremendous contribution made by Jewish radicals and thinkers to the British, and International, Labour Movements.
We have to recognise antisemitism within our own ranks, and not be afraid to call it what it is. It flies in the face of our historic ties to the Jewish community – and in the face of what is right.
If we allow ourselves to forget trailblazers such as Lewis Smith, and our own members – such as Jacob Fine and Mick Mindel – we cheapen ourselves and our own potent working class culture, and in doing so help create the conditions by which a division born from antisemitism can grow, just like a worm upon the vine.
Conversely, by choosing to celebrate the richness and variety of our shared heritage, we can begin to re-tie the knot of history and forge a better world for us all, regardless of race, creed, or borders.
For GMB, the work continues this coming week at our congress where our deeds will match our ideals.
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