Baruch Charney Vladeck
Encyclopedia
Baruch Charney Vladeck was an American Jewish labor leader, manager of the Jewish Daily Forward for twenty years, and a member of the New York City Council
.
, in what is now Belarus
in 1886. His parents were Wolf Charney and Brocha Hurwitz. In the early 1900s, Vladeck was drawn to revolutionary movements and was imprisoned in 1904 for conducting classes in liberal politics for young working people. He was an activist in the Jewish Labour Bund party. He would have several more brushes with the Czarist authorities due to his labor organizing and revolutionary activity; ultimately Vladeck sought refuge in the United States
.
Vladeck joined the staff of the Jewish Daily Forward in 1912 as manager of its Philadelphia branch while also studying at the Teachers' College of the University of Pennsylvania
. In 1918 Vladeck became manager of the paper, and remained in that position until his death. He was also a member of the National Press Club.
running on the American Labor Party
ticket. Vladeck was also at the forefront of establishing public housing for low-income residents and in 1934 was named by Mayor LaGuardia to the New York City Housing Authority
.
In 1933 Vladeck laid the groundwork for the Jewish Labor Committee
, which was formed by Jewish trade unionists, socialists, and kindred groups and individuals to oppose the rise of Nazism in Germany. The JLC had its founding convention the following February, in New York's Lower East Side; Vladeck was the organization's president from the convention until his death. He, together with Jewish trade union leaders, successfully convinced the American Federation of Labor
to support a national boycott of German goods at the labor federation's 1933 convention.
. His funeral procession through the Lower East Side
and ending outside the Forward building drew 500,000 mourners. Among the speakers at the service were Governor Herbert Lehman, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Senator Robert F. Wagner
and Socialist leader Norman Thomas
. Vladeck's papers are housed at Tamiment Library at New York University
.
Today the Vladeck Houses
public housing project on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan bear his name, as does nearby "Vladeck Park." The Amalgamated Housing Cooperative
in the Bronx contains a lecture hall named Vladeck Hall.
Vladeck's son was civil rights lawyer Stephen C. Vladeck (1920–1979) and his daughter-in-law was renowned labor lawyer Judith Vladeck.
2. "Half Million See Vladeck Funeral" New York Times 3 Nov. 1938: p. 28.
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
.
Early years
Vladeck was born in Dukora, a small village near MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, in what is now Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
in 1886. His parents were Wolf Charney and Brocha Hurwitz. In the early 1900s, Vladeck was drawn to revolutionary movements and was imprisoned in 1904 for conducting classes in liberal politics for young working people. He was an activist in the Jewish Labour Bund party. He would have several more brushes with the Czarist authorities due to his labor organizing and revolutionary activity; ultimately Vladeck sought refuge in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Vladeck joined the staff of the Jewish Daily Forward in 1912 as manager of its Philadelphia branch while also studying at the Teachers' College of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. In 1918 Vladeck became manager of the paper, and remained in that position until his death. He was also a member of the National Press Club.
Political career
In 1917 Vladeck was elected to the New York Board of Aldermen as a Socialist. He was defeated in 1921 but was re-elected in 1937 to the newly formed New York City CouncilNew York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
running on the American Labor Party
American Labor Party
The American Labor Party was a political party in the United States established in 1936 which was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party who had established themselves as the Social Democratic...
ticket. Vladeck was also at the forefront of establishing public housing for low-income residents and in 1934 was named by Mayor LaGuardia to the New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
.
In 1933 Vladeck laid the groundwork for the Jewish Labor Committee
Jewish Labor Committee
The Jewish Labor Committee is an American secular Jewish organization dedicated to promoting labor union interests in Jewish communities, and Jewish interests within unions. The organization is headquartered in New York City, with local/regional offices in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago...
, which was formed by Jewish trade unionists, socialists, and kindred groups and individuals to oppose the rise of Nazism in Germany. The JLC had its founding convention the following February, in New York's Lower East Side; Vladeck was the organization's president from the convention until his death. He, together with Jewish trade union leaders, successfully convinced the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
to support a national boycott of German goods at the labor federation's 1933 convention.
Death and legacy
Vladeck died on October 30, 1938, at the age of 52 from a coronary thrombosisCoronary thrombosis
Coronary thrombosis is a form of thrombosis affecting the coronary circulation. It is associated with stenosis subsequent to clotting. The condition is considered as a type of ischaemic heart disease.It can lead to a myocardial infarction...
. His funeral procession through the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
and ending outside the Forward building drew 500,000 mourners. Among the speakers at the service were Governor Herbert Lehman, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Senator Robert F. Wagner
Robert F. Wagner
Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.-Origin and early life:...
and Socialist leader Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
. Vladeck's papers are housed at Tamiment Library at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Today the Vladeck Houses
Vladeck Houses
Vladeck Houses is a public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority on the Lower East Side of Manhattan...
public housing project on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan bear his name, as does nearby "Vladeck Park." The Amalgamated Housing Cooperative
Amalgamated Housing Cooperative
Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, originally the Amalgamated Cooperative Apartment House, is a pioneering American limited-equity cooperative apartment complex originally built from 1927 to 1930 in The Bronx, New York City, New York....
in the Bronx contains a lecture hall named Vladeck Hall.
Vladeck's son was civil rights lawyer Stephen C. Vladeck (1920–1979) and his daughter-in-law was renowned labor lawyer Judith Vladeck.
Sources consulted
1. "B.C. Vladeck Dies; City Councilman" New York Times 31 Oct. 1938: p. 1.2. "Half Million See Vladeck Funeral" New York Times 3 Nov. 1938: p. 28.
Further reading
- Melech Epstein, Profiles of Eleven. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1965.
- John Herling, "Baruch Charney Vladeck," in American Jewish Yearbook 41. New York: American Jewish Committee, 1939–1940.
- Harold B. Hunting, "A Revolutionist Devoid of Hate," in Distinguished American Jews. Philip Henry Lotz, ed. New York: Associated Press, 1945.
- Ephraim Jeshurin, B.C. Vladeck: Fifty Years of Life and Labor. New York: 1932.
- Franklin L. Jonas, The Early Life and Career of B. Charney Vladeck. Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1972.
External links
- Finding Aid for the Baruch Charney Vladeck papers, Tamiment Library, New York University.
- "Baruch Charney Vladeck," Our Campaigns.com biography.
- Labor and the Holocaust: The Jewish Labor Committee and the Anti-Nazi Struggle (Origins)
- Labor and the Holocaust: The Jewish Labor Committee and the Anti-Nazi Struggle (Anti-Nazi Activity 1930s)