Sewing the fabric of statehood

"Long a bastion of Jewish labor power, garment unions provided financial and political aid essential to founding and building the nation of Israel. Throughout the project, Jewish labor often operated outside of official channels as non-governmental organizations. Adam Howard explores the untold story of how three influential garment unions worked alone and with other Jewish labor organizations in support of a new Jewish state. Sewing the Fabric of Statehood reveals a coalition at work on multiple fronts. Sustained efforts convinced the AFL and CIO to support Jewish development in Palestine through land purchases for Jewish workers and encouraged the construction of trade schools and cultural centers. Other activists, meanwhile, directed massive economic aid to Histadrut, the General Federation of Jewish Workers in Palestine, or pressured the British and American governments to recognize Israel's independence. What emerges is a powerful account of the motivations and ideals that led American labor to forge its own foreign policy and reshape both the postwar world and Jewish history"-- Provided by publisher. ; "This project by Adam Howard explores American labor's role in aiding the growth of a Jewish state in the Middle East, as well as its part in gaining U.S. recognition for Israel. The Jewish labor movement developed its strength in the garment industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to the creation of several Jewish labor organizations as well as a strong Jewish influence within three powerful garment unions influential with the general American labor movement. Howard shows how these influential unions, together with various Jewish labor organizations, convinced the AFL and CIO to support Jewish development in Palestine through land purchases for colonization by Jewish workers, the construction of trade schools and cultural centers, and massive economic aid to Histadrut, the General Federation of Jewish Workers in Palestine. He shows how they lobbied British Labor Party leaders to support a Jewish state in Palestine, especially after the British Labor Party won power in 1945. He also examines the pressure these American groups exerted on political allies within the U.S., in Congress and the White House as well as at the local level, and assesses their pivotal role in the 1948 presidential election. Going beyond a focus on AFL and CIO cooperation with the U.S. government in foreign affairs, this project demonstrates how American labor forged its own foreign policy abroad, often operating outside the boundaries of national governments, to aid the development of a Jewish state in Palestine"-- Provided by publisher.