Civil Disobedience at the White House

In front of the White House, Workers Circle College Organizer Noa Baron shouted, “Mir Zaynen Do!” And around them, a crowd of hundreds of protesters responded “We Are Here!” 

Since October 2021, Workers Circle community members and democracy coalition partners have been engaged in ongoing civil disobedience in front of the White House demanding that President Biden use his office to convince Senate Democrats to modify or end the filibuster so that the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act  can be signed into law in 2021. These bills would counter the more than 30 laws passed by state legislatures that make voting harder for millions of voters of color, young voters, and poor voters. This legislation would further protect against election sabotage and end partisan gerrymandering. As Congressional maps are being drawn now, there is no time to lose. On November 3, the Workers Circle joined in a civil disobedience action led by Martin Luther King III and youth activists, including Yolanda Renee King, the 13-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. Our own College Organizer and NYU senior, Noa Baron, was a featured speaker. Noa was arrested alongside seven members of our College Network, Workers Circle CEO Ann Toback, President Richard Rumelt, Board Member Sally Guttmacher, Director of Social Justice, Noelle Damico, and Workers Circle Member and DC community organizer, Laurence Broun. On November 17, more than 150 people joined in civil disobedience at the White House including a delegation of a dozen Workers Circle college students. We will continue to make sure Workers Circle activists have the opportunity to take collective action to protect our democracy in-person and online.

A Likhtikn un Freylekhn Khanike

Our Yiddish Khanike Party will return to Zoom on Sunday, December 5 and highlight our global community of Yiddish teachers and students. Daniel Galay, Motl Didner, and Mikhl Yashinsky will perform seasonal skits. Musical guests include Polina Shepherd and her chorus, Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer, Psoy Korolenko, Judy Bressler, Cindy Paley, Paula Teitelbaum, Tania Grinberg, and the students from our KinderKlub Yiddish class. RSVP today to secure your space in this special webinar and receive an entry in our Annual Khanike Raffle for a chance to win free registration to any of our Winter 2022 semester Yiddish classes.

A Tour of Jewish Kazimierz

On Thursday, November 4, Workers Circle Jewish Journey Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Tomasz Cebulski led our community in a virtual tour through Krakow’s Jewish district, Kazimierz. Kazimierz is one of two surviving Jewish medieval districts in the world. It was thrilling to explore 700 years of culture and tradition through new video footage and historic photos, music, and film. You can watch a recording of this program on the Workers Circle YouTube channel.

The Brooklyn Workers Circle School Celebrates Essential Hospital Workers

Families from the Workers Circle Brooklyn Cultural School expressed gratitude to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital frontline workers with handmade signs and cards, fresh fruit, black and white cookies, and live Klezmer music. "Before we left, one hospital worker from the nursing unit brought the kids' giant, colorful Thank You sign up to be proudly displayed at their unit. The man told us how much getting to see it would mean to the nurses working at the station," shared Brooklyn Workers Circle School teacher, Irene Siegel.

The Workers Circle Manhattan School and the America We Must Become

Just days after being arrested in front of the White House for an act of civil disobedience on behalf of voting rights, the Workers Circle Social Justice Director Noelle Damico visited our Manhattan Workers Circle Jewish Cultural School to share her experiences. In addition to learning what  civil disobedience means, the students were made aware of the importance of voting and the threats we are facing to our voting rights and how it undermines our democracy. The children were asked to share their hopes for the future of our nation in the spirit of our The America We Must Become Youth Petition. Students also created messages to President Biden that were shared on Workers Circle social media during the November 3 civil disobedience action at the White House.

Meet Our New Board Members

Mazel tov to the new members of the Workers Circle Board of Directors who were voted in by our membership and officially joined our leadership at our annual membership meeting last month. We welcomed six new members to our Board of Directors and re-elected two continuing board members. Eva Zasloff and Jay Sackman were appointed by President Richard Rumelt as Vice Presidents, David Kazansky as Treasurer, and Daniel Katz as Secretary. 

The new Board members are: Hasia R. Diner, Barry Eisenberg, Sally Guttmacher, Nedra Hoffman, Jack Lusk, and Jeffrey G. Stein. Board members Zeev Dagan and Michelle Green were reelected for a second term. Learn more about our new leaders by reading their bios in our press release. Each board member brings with them great enthusiasm for our work and will help us remain at the forefront of social justice activism and cultural Jewish education. “I am pleased to welcome such a talented group of new members to the Workers Circle Board. Each of them brings a unique perspective and set of skills that will contribute to our mission of advancing social justice through a Jewish lens,” said Board President Richard Rumelt.

Honoring the Unwavering Courage of Our Frontline and Essential Workers

At our first-ever Virtual Benefit, we paid tribute to all frontline and essential workers, presented our inaugural Heroes of the Workforce/Arbeters Heldn award to the New York Professional Nurses Union, and raised funds to support our teen and college social justice programming. We were joined by award-winning actress Alfre Woodard, who shared a emotional reading of a story written by a nurse about her pandemic experience. Henry Winkler and Seth, Lauren, Mark and Sandy Rogen had special greetings for our healthcare heroes and Workers Circle activists. The program also included performances from The Peace Poets; singer, songwriter and actor, Daniel Kahn; and the Northwell Nurse’s Choir (2021 Finalists on America’s Got Talent). We are grateful to everyone who joined and supported this meaningful event. Watch a recording of this event and learn more about our brave honorees and generous sponsors at www.circle.org/virtual-benefit.

Save the Date for Giving Tuesday!

Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world, will take place on November, 30, 2021. The Workers Circle has taken part in Giving Tuesday in previous years, and your generous support has helped us fundraise for the next generation of activists, for campaigns on social and economic justice, and much more. Stay tuned for details on how you can support the Workers Circle and our mission during this global day of giving!