Cornell University Library Digital Collections

The Spark, Volume 3, Number 2, May-June, 1932

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Title:
The Spark, Volume 3, Number 2, May-June, 1932
Title (Yiddish):
דער פונק, 3טער יאָרגאַנג, נומער 2
Romanized Title (Yiddish):
Der funk, 3ter yorgang, Numer 2
Collection:
International Workers’ Order (IWO) and Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO)
Set:
Black Jewish Relations
Camps
Conferences, Conventions, Meetings
Culture Front
Education
IWO and JPFO Affiliated Publications and Publishing
Visual
Creator:
International Workers Order (IWO)
Creator (Yiddish):
אינטערנאציאנאלער ארבעטער ארדן
Date:
1932-05
Site:
New York, New York, United States
Address (Creator):
80 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
Identifier:
5276b50f05_15
Organization:
International Workers Order
Language:
Yiddish
Work Type:
magazines (periodicals)
literature (writings)
political campaigns
proceedings
logos
political campaigns
communism
organization files
historical figures
educating
authors
house organs
racial discrimination
black-and-white photographs
political ideologies and attitudes
historical figures
plays (document genre)
financial statements
Subject:
Political
Communism
Education
Culture Front- Publishing, Art
Intelligentsia
Jewish Left
IWO JPFO- Reports, Meetings, and Conferences, Finances
Soviet Union
Black Jewish Relations- Scottsboro
African Americans
Education- Shule, Ordn Schools
Jewish Left- Arbeter Ring
Recreational Camps- Camp Kinderland
IWO JPFO Organizational History
Description:
The Spark was an official bi-monthly publication of the I.W.O. Contents of the May 1932 issue, from the cover: The Arbeter Ring Convention (William Abrams). The Fight Against War. For the Liberation of the Scottsboro Negro Boys. The Role of the Lovestoneites in the Last Fake Dress Strike by H. Grossman. Our Honorary Member-- Morris Winchevsky, by Y. Finkelstein. The Hungarian Section of the I.W.O. by Josef Feher. A Sickness the Must be Treated by Sam Lipsin. The Medical Department in New York, by N. Sh. What's Happening in Our Order. R. Z. (Rubin Saltzman). A play, Triumph of Work, by L. Miller. Lenin in Kentucky, a story by Chaver Paver. Pictures from Camp Kinderland, by Shloyme Davidman. On page 31, assets and liabilities of the I.W.O. are reported. On page 32 addresses of Ordn shuln (schools) are listed. New York has 45 schools. Altogether, 108 schools are listed. Geography of Ordn Shuln.
Note:
The Spark (Der Funk) was named for Iskra (И́скра), Lenin's erstwhile newspaper
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:
50
Folder:
5
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.