Monday, March 7, 2011

Remembering the Triangle Fire

One hundred years ago last week on the Hebrew Calendar (March 25 on the secular), 146 innocent workers, mostly women, died in the tragic fire that changed everything. Read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and see a list of the victims' names by clicking here. I recalled the historic events at services this past Friday night. Read the Forward's coverage of the commemoration here. And see how columnist Leonard Fein relates the fire to current labor issues.

Here's some of what I said last Friday evening:

There are times when action is needed – even partisan action, and we shoudn’t shy away from it, even if it’s sometimes controversial. But I believe Shabbat is the time for the MESSAGE. And the message is not about Labor or management – it’s about greed and good.

For Jews are on both sides of the Wisconsin divide, management and labor. And in the NFL, Jews are owners and players.

The message this Shabbat is about the power of gold – the power of money, to do good or not.

We saw two weeks ago that gold was used to build an IDOL – GOLDEN CALF which led Israel down the path to ruin.

But this week, in Exodus 38:24 we read:
כָּל-הַזָּהָב, הֶעָשׂוּי לַמְּלָאכָה, בְּכֹל, מְלֶאכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ--וַיְהִי זְהַב הַתְּנוּפָה, תֵּשַׁע וְעֶשְׂרִים כִּכָּר, וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שֶׁקֶל, בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ.

All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

How much gold was that?
Estimates range from 1828 lbs to two tons.
Lots of gold.

And why does it say “All the gold that was made for the WORK in all THE WORK?” Why is "work" so emphasized?

The commentator Tiferet Yonatan wrote:

THIS IMPLIES THAT ALL THAT GOLD WAS PUT INTO THIS WORLD ONLY THAT MAN SHOULD USE IT FOR GOOD AND SACRED PURPOSES. ALL THE GOLD THAT WAS CREATED WAS MADE ONLY TO LEAD TO HOLINESS.

Gold, ladies and gentlemen, is good. Greed, is bad.

100 years ago this week on the Hebrew Calendar, March 25 1911, at 4:30 PM, a fire started on the 8th floor of the Asch building housing the Triangle Shirt Waist factory. The factory employed 500 people, mostly immigrant women. Most worked on the 8th 9th and 10th floors. 146 died in that fire. The building was a fire trap, no regulation, cutting all corners, many workers were Jewish, the owners were Jewish.

LOOK AT THE NAMES.

Workers and management, both Jewish. The managers happened to be union busters and they also happened to be greedy. Concerned more with the bottom line than having safe conditions for their workers, they locked some of the doors to the hallway so that the workers would not be able to skip out early.

Want to know why American Jews became synonymous with support for labor unions? Aside from age old Jewish values of supporting the widow and orphan, the weaker ones of our society, we need look no farther than the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The bodies were lined up by the East River for a week and viewed by thousands of people. This fire literally seared its way into the consciousness of the Jewish community.

I can’t say what the best solution is for Wisconsin teachers and NFL players.

MAYBE IF THEY PUT THE GREEN BAY PACKERS INTO THE CLASSROOM THEY COULD SOLVE BOTH PROBLEMS.

But I can tell you that it’s a Jewish issue – because greed is a Jewish issue. Caring for the defenseless is a Jewish issue. Justice for the oppressed is a Jewish issue. Fairness and feeding the hungry are Jewish issues. Maybe management and employees promote holiness or maybe they run after gold – the gold itself can go both ways – in the direction of greed or in the direction of good. It can become a Golden Calf or it can transform relationships for the better - it can lead to holiness.

The Triangle Fire reminds us how alluring and - how fatal - can be the power of gold.

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