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The International Jewish Labor Bund is a New York-based international Jewish socialist organization, based on the legacy of the General Jewish Labour Bund founded in the Russian empire in 1897 and the Polish Bund that was active in the interwar years. The IJLB is composed by local Bundist groups around the world. It is an "associated organisation" of Socialist International, like the World Labour Zionist Movement or the International League of Religious Socialists[1] but it has not attended any S.I. congress since the 1999 Paris XXIst Congress.[2]The International Jewish Labor Bund (World Coordinating Council/Committee) was dissolved in New York in the mid-2000s.
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The Polish Bund had established a representation in New York in 1941, where it began publishing Unser Tsait. In 1947, a conference was held in Brussels at which the World Coordinating Committee of Bundist and Affiliated Socialist Jewish Organizations was founded (i.e. the IJLB). Emmanuel Novogrodski was the secretary of the IJLB until 1961. Novgrodski had been the secretary of the Polish Bund and participated in setting up its New York representation.[3][4] Early 1948, the Polish Bund withdrew from the World Coordinating Committee.[5]
The IJLB was admitted with an observer statute on the June 1947 Zürich Conference of the reconstituted Socialist International and as an "associated organization" at the Frankfurt founding Congress of the new Socialist International in 1951.[6][7]
In 1997 commemorative events were organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bund in New York City, London, Warsaw, Paris[8] and Brussels, where the chairwoman of the Belgian chapter, herself 100 year old, was present.[9]
The Bund was against the UN vote on the partition of Palestine and reaffirmed its support for a One-state solution, i.e. a single binational state that would guarantee equal national rights for Jews and Arabs and would be under the control of superpowers and the UN.[7]
The 1948 New York Second world conference of the International Jewish Labor Bund condemned the proclamation of the Jewish state, because the decision exposed the Jews in Palestine to a danger. The conference was in favour of a two nations state built on the base of national equality and democratic federalism.[7]
The 1955 Montreal Third world conference of the IJLB decided that the creation of the Jewish state was an important event in the Jewish history. The state might play a positive role in the Jewish life but a few necessary changes were needed. The participants of the conference demanded:
- a) the authorities of Israel should treat the state as a property of the Jews of all the world
- b) but it would mean that the affairs of Jewish community in Israel should be subordinate to the affairs of the world Jewry.
- c) the policy of the state of Israel would be the same towards all citizens regardless their nationality.
- d) Israel should tend to peace relationships with Arabs. It required to stop a territorial expansion of Israel and bring a solution of the problem of Palestinian refugees.
- e) the Yiddish should be taught at all education institutions and would get all rights in the public life.[7]
Presidents
General secretaries
Executive of the World Coordinating Committee in 1957:[11] David Meier, Abraham Stolar, Emanuel Sherer, Emanuel Novogrodski, Benjamin Tabatchinski, Pinchas Schwartz, Leon Oler, Alexander Erlich, J.S. Hertz, Joseph Gutgold, Hershel Himelfarb, Baruch Shefner
Members of the World Coordinating Committee 1957:
Peretz Guterman, F. Shrager, Leon Stern (all three from France), Meyer Treibeer, Berl Fuchs (both from Brazil), Berl Rosner (England), Tschechanowski (Belgium), Shimon Yezher, Tuvie Meisel (both from Mexico), Kowalsman (Uruguay), Alexander Mints, Dr. M. Peretz (both from Argentina), S. M. Oshry, M. L. Polin, Ch. S. Kasdan (all from USA), Artur Lermer, Manie Reinhartz (both from Canada), Paul Olberg (Sweden), Bunem Wiener, Mendel Kosher, (both from Australia), Bentzl Zalwitz, Pesach Burshin, Israel Artuski (all three from Israel)
Bund groups continue to meet in the United Kingdom (Jewish Socialists' Group[14]), France (Centre Medem - Arbeiter Ring),[15] Denmark, Canada, USA, Australia (Jewish Labour Bund, Inc and S.K.I.F.), Argentina, Uruguay and Israel (Arbeter-ring in Yisroel - Brith Haavoda).
From 1959-1978 the Bund operated a summer youth camp called Camp Hemshekh in the Catskills region of New York State. The surviving youth movement of the Bund, S.K.I.F., also ran summer camps in Canada and in Melbourne, Australia. Today, S.K.I.F. operates in Melbourne, Australia, and in France since 1963 as the Secular Club of Jewish Children (French: Club laïque de l’Enfance juive, CLEJ).[16]
The IJLB published in New York a monthly journal in Yiddish, Unser Tsait. It also published the "Jewish Labor Bund Bulletin" and the "Bulletin of the Jewish Youth Movement".[17] Its Australian and Israeli chapters have their own magazines, Unser Gedank and Lebns Fragn.[18]
In 1957, for the sixtieth years of existence of the Bund, the IJLB published a commemorative book in Yiddish and English with photographs, Der Bund Un Bilder, 1897-1957.[19]