Manny Muravchik My Mentor, My Role Model, My Colleague, My Friend

Manny Muravchik

My Mentor, My Role Model, My Colleague, My Friend

Jacob Schlitt

"In the summer of 1956, I called Manny Muravchik to ask to meet with him. I had been told that he knew just about everybody in the labor movement. "

2007-01-11

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1956/2007

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Manny Muravchik
My Mentor, My Role Model, My Colleague, My Friend

In the summer of 1956, I called Manny Muravchik to ask to meet with him. I had been told that he knew just about everybody in the labor movement. I was planning to leave Local 99 of the ILGWU, and wanted a lead to another union job. Though he did not know me, he graciously invited me to his office, listened, looked at my resume, and then asked if I would consider working for the Jewish Labor Committee. I knew the JLC, but it never occurred to me that I might find work there. I had a general idea of its program, but when Manny described the scope of my duties, I really became interested. We talked more—the job interview--I left my resume and references, and he introduced me to the person I might be replacing: Betty Kaye Taylor. Betty was leaving to have a baby. She spoke about the job from the point of view of the person doing it, and warned me that I would have to learn to say "no" to the demands that will constantly be made of me.

After Manny checked me out, we had another meeting and talked salary. Manny apologetically said he could offer me no more than $100 a week. It was OK with me. I was making $85 at the ILGWU. He then explained that my appointment must be approved by the acting executive director, Benjamin Tabachinsky. We met, he interviewed me, and then asked me to write why I wanted to work for the JLC. I wrote a short piece which apparently met with his approval. I started work in September 1956, beginning the six happiest and most rewarding years of my working life.

I spent a few delightful days with Betty getting an idea of the job, and then was on my own. But whenever I had a question I was able to turn to Manny. Through Manny and the JLC, whole worlds opened up. I learned that there were a lot of other unions in addition to the ILGWU, ACWA and the UAW. Through Manny, I learned about the field of Jewish community relations, the other national Jewish agencies, NCRAC (now JCPA) and the JCRCs. And the national civil rights agencies—NAACP, Urban League and CORE. Manny gave me the opportunity to plan conferences, write and edit publications, draft resolutions, speak at union conventions, develop program, and teach labor classes. Watching Manny as he directed our operation was a tremendous learning experience.

Manny was instrumental in shaping the field of "labor and civil rights," and formulating the concept of the JLC as the bridge between the Jewish community and the labor movement. He gave direction to the newly created field offices of the JLC as they in turn created Labor Committees for Human Rights in the cities and states in which they worked. He hired our field directors: Bill Becker in San Francisco, Max Mont in Los Angeles, Lou Lerman in Minneapolis, Mickey Meltzer in Detroit, Ben Stahl in Philadelphia, Julie Bernstein in Boston. Manny helped Herbert Hill develop the position of Labor Secretary within the NAACP (which he may have later regretted), and Harry Fleischman’s National Labor Service at the American Jewish Committee.

I was amazed at all the people that Manny knew. Many were from his YPSL days, and though I didn’t share that experience, I felt fortunate to be able to meet them and be included in the "family." He described the work of H. L. Mitchell and the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and his friend Hank Hasawar. Manny's involvement in the struggle for civil rights went way back. Manny worked closely with Phil Randolph in the late '30s and with many other black labor leaders and civil rights activists including Frank Crosswaith, Fred O’Neal, Pauli Murray, Bayard Rustin, Jim Farmer and Norman Hill.

Thanks to Manny, I was given the opportunity of editing Labor Reports, the JLC’s monthly news service to the labor press. I became familiar with the hundreds of union periodicals and journals published across the country, and through Labor Reports, I developed a relationship with two wonderful writers who were also close friends of Manny-- Harry Gersh and Alton Levy, and one of the greatest editorial cartoonists —Bernie Seaman. I also had the responsibility of editing all our (English language) publications. I remember editing a piece by Israel Knox in which he mentioned Abraham Leissin. I thought it was a typo for Abraham Reisin and corrected it. Dr. Knox kindly explained that it was not a typo, and told me all about Leissin.

Thanks to Manny, I became part of the JLC family and met the legendary leaders of the Jewish Labor Bund, and the great Yiddish writers, poets and artists, many associated with the Congress for Jewish Culture, who gathered in the Ess Tsimmer of the Atran Center. Attending meetings of the JLC Office Committee at the Forward Building, I met and worked with the leaders of the Workmen’s Circle. My mother would have been thrilled to know that I was able to follow the discussions which were in Yiddish (with a little help from my friends. I would sit next to Will Stern and, from time to time, ask "Vos zogt er?")

Someone said that the JLC took a Madison Avenue mansion and turned it into a messy socialist party headquarters. But to me, the Atran Center at 25 East 78th Street was heaven. I loved walking up the stairs and into our imposing lobby with Hyman Bass’s office on the left and Melech Epstein's and Zalman Lichtenstein’s offices on the right. I loved our little elevator with the cardboard sign "Nor 6 menshn." On the second floor was our large meeting room, and the William Green Human Relations Library for which Manny had gotten a grant from the AF of L, and I sculpted a bas-relief of William Green for the plaque in the library. And on the third floor were our offices: Pat, Tabachinsky, Estrin, Sara Jacobs, Gretl, Manny, Walter, (and later, Phil Heller and Irving Panken) Aaron Silbermintz, Dr. Kissman, and finally our shipping room and stock room, presided over by Mr. Besser.

I was always astounded at the scope of Manny’s interests unrelated to the job: stamp collecting, art, investing, psychotherapy and of course, radical politics. I was starting a family, and here again I had a role model: Manny and Miriam and Josh and Aaron. What a great bunch. I remember a story Miriam told me. Manny was a friend to everyone in the neighborhood. One Sunday morning some of the neighborhood youngsters rang Manny's bell. Miriam answered. The kids looked up at her and asked, "Can Manny come out and play?"

Another story: One day, Walter Kirschenbaum came into Manny’s office to announce that he, Walter, was mentioned in Murray Kempton’s column. Manny acknowledged that Kempton did mention Walter, calling him a chaser after dead rats. Walter thought for a moment and said that wasn't nice, and he was going to call Murray. A few minutes later, Walter was back in Manny’s office. He said he spoke to Murray and Murray said it was not an insult.

After a few years at the JLC and a great deal of involvement with NCRAC, I told friends that I thought I had come to work for the Jewish LABOR Committee, and it turns out I am working for the JEWISH Labor Committee. But I began to find the jockeying within the world of Jewish community relations fascinating, and Manny played it like a violin. He starred at the Plenums, and I learned about shechita, church-state separation, Soviet anti-Semitism, and quotas. I also learned about the role of the JLC in rescuing Jews and socialists and trade union leaders from death at the hands of the Nazis, and its post-war relief efforts.

I didn't neglect my involvement with organized labor, and again, thanks to Manny, I served as staff to the NYC AFL-CIO Civil Rights Committee. I was able to take a paper committee and make it function. Among other things, we pressed the building trades to open up their apprenticeships. Harry Van Arsdale and Peter Brennan weren't happy about it, but they changed, and blacks and Puerto Ricans were finally accepted into the apprenticeship programs. In 1962, I went on to work for the chairman of the committee as education director of the Amalgamated Laundry Workers, with Manny’s blessings.

Then, on to Washington DC to AFSCME, and employment with the US Commission on Civil Rights, but always checking in with Manny. I was involved with the JCRC in Washington, and served as its social action chairman, but my organizational affiliation was the Jewish Labor Committee. When I attended the NJCRAC Plenums, my time was always divided between my role as a JCRC delegate and as a JLC delegate.

In 1979, I moved on to Boston as the New England Regional Director for the Civil Rights Commission, and called Manny to find out what I could do to assist the JLC which was having trouble keeping staff after the tragic loss of Julie Bernstein in 1977. Over the years, I did what I could for the New England JLC, consulting with Manny. And then in 1984, Manny retired, but we still kept in touch, only less frequently.

The fact is, that from the time I left the JLC, my entire working life as well as my volunteer work was shaped by everything I learned working for Manny. I owe Manny a great deal in addition to those six wonderful, rewarding, stimulating years.

Thank you, Manny. I will miss you.


Jacob Schlitt, January 11, 2007

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