AFGE is proud to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month! Jewish Americans have played a significant role both in the labor and civil rights movements. For example, more than half of the young people who participated in the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964 were also Jewish Americans. Most of the white people who participated in a sit in at a white-only lunch counter in solidarity with the courageous Black men were Jewish Americans. Samuel Gompers, a Jewish immigrant from the UK, helped found the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which later became the American Federation of Labor, as well as the International Labor Organization.
Across the labor community and right here at AFGE, we have Jewish Americans who are helping advance the rights of working families. We are grateful for all the ways they contribute their time and talents to the mission of our federation.
This month we sat down with Frank Silberstein, senior steward for AFGE Local 2782 representing employees at the U.S. Census Bureau in Washington, D.C. He has also served as the national fair practices affirmative action coordinator for District 14 since 2014.
Tell us a little bit about your job and your union journey
The U.S. Census Bureau has employed me as a mathematical statistician since 1999. After joining the U.S. Census Bureau in 1999, I soon decided to jump right in and find ways to work for justice and to ensure more fairness in the federal government when I saw that unions can do an excellent job protecting employees from abuse.
AFGE was actually my third union job. Previously I worked as a trouble shooter/tester for an aeronautical company while in college under the IAM (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) and then under AFT (American Federation of Teachers) as a high school teacher in Baltimore. I knew union jobs were much better and surely needed.
What kind of support do you need from the American people to help you and your colleagues carry out your mission?
We need the American people to better understand that workers need a fine balance between workers’ rights and employers’ rights. The right balance protects everyone and makes for efficient and good production as well as content workers. When the public goes to the polls they should listen well to workers and unions when that balance is threatened.
Are you a member of any Jewish heritage group? What issue/challenge facing the Jewish community are you most concerned about?
I am a member of Jews United for Justice, an AFL-CIO affiliated group, and the Jewish Labor Committee. I am also the current vice president of Am Kolel, a progressive Jewish synagogue in the DC metropolitan area.
One area I am greatly concerned about is the gradual rise in antisemitism. My own family members belong to Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 Jews were murdered in October 2018. I have been there several times for family celebrations, and it’s absolutely chilling to see the amount of senseless hatred that has been running through this country lately.
Anything else you want to add regarding Jewish Heritage Month?
The Jewish community stands for justice and tolerance of all people, and we appreciate the similar support and understanding of good people everywhere.
Want to learn more about Jewish Americans?
Check out the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
Explore the connections among the Jewish and labor communities by following the Jewish Labor Committee, an independent secular 501(c)3 organization, the voice of the Jewish community in the labor movement and the voice of the labor movement in the Jewish community.
As May is also Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, check out Jewish Asian American stories here and here.
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