H eadlines
History Continued from Page 9
home more than women from
other immigrant groups, since
Eastern European Jewish tradi-
tion dictated that men dedicate
themselves to studying Torah
while women worked in the
secular world to support their
families. Wealthy social reformers
and college students provided
material support for the strike,
including food, meeting
places and bail money. The
International Ladies Garment
Workers Union and the
Women’s Trade Union League
sent representatives and solic-
ited support, and local unions
pledged solidarity.

Davis said the city govern-
ment and business community
were staunchly opposed to the
cause. Strikers faced arrest
and beatings from police
and harassment from the
general public. They also faced
resistance from within the
Philadelphia Jewish commu-
nity, as many of the factory
owners were wealthy Jews
The women even faced
sexism from men who joined
their cause. Daniel Sidorick, a
labor studies lecturer at Rutgers
University-New Brunswick,
said many male union leaders
of the ILGWU, urged the
women to agree to arbitration
even as their employers refused
to recognize their union, the
meeting hall erupted in anger
and the workers returned to
who had joined the cause
and enlisted the support
of President William Taft’s
daughter Helen, solicited a
letter from the president calling
for the strike to be settled. Both
sides offered concessions, but
the strikers obtained their
demands of a shortened work
increased wages, an end
It was important because it was the first really large case of women week,
to charges for supplies and
workers going on strike in such massive numbers. It was really
union recognition.

“It was important because it
transformative to the young women that took part in it. It really
was the first really large case of
changed many of their lives.”
women workers going on strike
in such massive numbers,”
DANIEL SIDORICK
Sidorick said. “It was really
transformative to the young
women that took part in it. It
really changed many of their
whose families had immigrated did not believe that the female the picket lines. The strike lives.” l
to the United States from workers were capable of finally ended on Feb. 5, 1910.

Representatives from spanzer@jewishexponent.com;
Germany two or three genera- sustaining the strike. When
Abraham Rosenberg, president the Universal Peace Union, 215-832-0729
tions previously.

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