Cornell University Library Digital Collections

Speech by R. Saltzman at Hotel Diplomat on IWO Legal Issues

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Title:
Speech by R. Saltzman at Hotel Diplomat on IWO Legal Issues
Collection:
International Workers’ Order (IWO) and Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO)
Set:
Cold War
Creator:
Zaltsman, R. (Reʾuven) (Rubin Saltzman, Reuben Zaltzman)
Date:
1948-06-30
Site:
108 West 43rd Street, New York City
Address (Creator):
80 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Identifier:
5276b63f08_02
Organization:
International Workers Order
Transcription:
For Filing Speech by R. Saltzman at Hotel Diplomat 6-30-48 [red pencil] Bx. 29 ff 21 [pencilled in]. Red pencil also used for underlining words.
Language:
English
Work Type:
speeches
meetings
insurance
organization files
historical figures
communism
political ideologies and attitudes
courts
antisemitism
political campaigns
taxes
Subject:
Anti-Ordn Campaign
IWO JPFO Organizational History
Soviet Union
Membership
Political
Communism
Cold War- Red Scare
IWO Legal Issues
Fraternal Orders- Lodges, Activities
Court Proceedings
Communist Party, USA
Insurance
Nazism and Fascism
Antisemitism
Description:
5 pages. Speech delivered at New York City meeting at the Hotel Diplomat with IWO branches in other cities participating by conference call to discuss the impact of the IWO being put on the Red List, the removal of its tax-exempt status, and the ensuing legal difficulties ensuing from the charge of "disloyalty." Saltzman response is "Our Order has distinguished itself in its devotion to democracy and the welfare of the American people." (4) Speech invokes the threat that this anti-IWO campaign poses to the Bill of Rights and American democracy and calls for immediate action. "[H]istory has taught us that you meet reactionary acts with counter-offensives...When we are speaking about attacks on the Order we are speaking of fascism - nothing less." (1) "We will mobilize our membership and leaders - for a fight that the enemies of democracy will never forget. We are going to court. We will mobilize our membership and friends for mass action in defense of the Order." (4). "As a Jew I am especially sensitive to the full meaning of the word verboten. My people know that an attack on the Order is an attack on them." (2) Lastly, "Victory will be ours." (5)
Note:
The Jewish People’s Fraternal Order was the largest ‘national’ section of the International Workers Order (IWO) which focused on cultural awareness and celebration, mutual support especially in health insurance coverage, and anti-fascist activities. The IWO also gave particular emphasis to supporting the rights and interests of African Americans. Documents include language and representations which comprise the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that Cornell University or its staff endorse or approve of negative representations or stereotypes presented.
Cite As:
International Workers Order (IWO) Records #5276. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University
Archival Collection:
International Workers Order (IWO) Records, 1915-2002 (KCL05276)
Box:
63
Folder:
8
Rights:
The copyright status and copyright owners of most of the images in the International Workers Order (IWO) Records Collection (Kheel Center #5276) are unknown. This material was digitized from physical holdings by Cornell University Library in 2016, with funding from an Arts and Sciences Grant to Jonathan Boyarin. Documents include language and representations which comprise the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that Cornell University or its staff endorse or approve of negative representations or stereotypes presented. Cornell is providing access to the materials as a digital aggregate under an assertion of fair use for non-commercial educational use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Cornell would like to learn more about items in the collection and to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information as to rights holders. Please contact the Kheel Center at kheel_center@cornell.edu

About the collection

This bilingual project conserves, digitizes, and curates a portion of Cornell's International Workers Order (IWO) archives and most especially those of its Jewish division, known as the Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO). The IWO was founded in 1930 as an immigrant fraternal order that provided high-quality, low-cost health and burial insurance and other benefits for members. The origins of the IWO / JPFO arise from a decade of splits (1920-1930) concerning the U.S.S.R., the Bolshevik Revolution and Communism that consumed the Jewish Federation of Socialists and the Arbeter Ring (Workmens' Circle) groups associated with Eugene V. Debs' Socialist Party. While the vast majority of the IWO's members--200,000 at its peak right after World War II--did not belong to the Communist Party of the United States of America, the IWO's politics and leadership were largely aligned with those of the Party. The IWO was legally disbanded in 1953 due to the Cold War "Red Scare." This closure followed on a famous and unprecedented court case: its insurance funds and records were seized by New York State's Insurance Department. The presence of a goodly portion of the IWO's archives in the Kheel Center's 5276 Catherwood Library collection at Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School is a direct result of that seizure.