Rabbis say labor is the business of the religious

Stacy J. Willis

Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 11:17 a.m.

A Spanish-speaking carpenter is telling two national Jewish leaders about the bathrooms on construction sites.

"They are so filthy, you have to find somewhere else to relieve yourself in public, and if someone sees you, you can get fired," says Rafael Gomez, sitting at a crowded table in a Culinary Union Local No. 226 trailer.

Why is this a Jewish issue?

"It is a dignity issue and a social issue, and Judaism mandates that we stand up for the rights of workers -- it's Scriptural," said Rabbi Robert J. Marx, founder of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs in Chicago.

Religion should be drawn out of the houses of worship and into the community -- to work sites, labor union halls, and management offices, according to Mike Slater, executive director of the Las Vegas Interfaith Council for Worker Justice.

To that end, Slater yesterday welcomed two prominent Jewish social activists to Las Vegas to urge the local Jewish community to become more involved in labor issues.

Marx and Evely Laser Shlensky, co-chairwoman of the Los Angeles Jewish Commission on Sweatshops, listened to disenfranchised Las Vegas nurses, carpenters and casino workers describe their workplace problems for most of the afternoon.

The two later planned to meet with members of the Las Vegas Jewish community to convey their message: Come out of the synagogue and get on the picket line.

"The Talmud (book of Jewish law) says, 'If you can protest and prevent an injustice and you do not, then you are an accomplice in that injustice,' " Shlensky said.

"The disparity between rich and poor is growing so great that the problem screams out for someone to speak," Marx said.

Jewish activism

All religious communities are encouraged by the Interfaith Council to speak up on behalf of workers, Slater said.

But while many churches and temples do charity work and most religions teach that the faithful should stand up for just causes -- few among the flock are quick to leap into the worlds of politics and social activism.

"Congregations don't like controversy," Marx said.

"People tend to want to do only the deeds of loving kindness and avoid the social activism. People are happy to staff homeless shelters, but it takes a long time before they finally say, 'Why are there so many people in this homeless shelter?' " Shlensky said.

Jews are historically linked to the politics of labor issues, according to Rabbi Mel Hecht of Temple Beth Am, a member of the Las Vegas Interfaith Council for Worker Justice.

"As a Jewish population, we identify closely with immigrants who have labor issues -- we were immigrants a hundred years ago. But as we moved more into the mainstream America, those labor issues were not as pressing, and we entered the middle classes," Hecht said. "And the reality is, most local synagogues are not now directly active in such issues.

"The question becomes, 'How do you keep alive a social conscience in people who have already arrived? They are preoccupied with taking their kids to ballet and soccer, and both parents have careers. The inclination is not to have a direct interest," Hecht said.

Such was the case for Shlensky until her understanding of Judaism deepened, she said.

"As a young adult, I was raising kids and going about my business. Then I joined a congregation that made a case for the inextricable link between justice and Judaism that made it impossible to stay at home," Shlensky said.

Hecht said that realistically, he doesn't expect members of suburban congregations to show up en masse on the doorsteps of businesses where labor disputes occur.

"But we can expect symbolic actions. In many cases, symbolic actions are sufficient. Letters can be written to politicians and businessmen," Hecht said.

How effective is the clergy in the middle of labor disputes?

"Up until recently we really haven't had the involvement of the religious community," said Julie Pearlman, who works for the Culinary Union. "But they really give 'umph' to our movement because they are people doing this with a deeper conviction."

More practically, Hecht says, "You can impugn the union. You can call names and question the motivations, but it becomes very difficult to accuse clergy of not having the best interests of the community at heart."

Judging individuals?

But religious institutions are not immune from the trappings of financial interests. In many cases business owners also are religious philanthropists -- as in the case of Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian resort, which has been the site of labor disputes for months. Adelson is resisting workers' efforts to unionize.

If the community engages in a religious analysis of workplace issues, it inevitably is led to judge individuals: Is Adelson a good Jew? Can you take money from a man if you disagree with his labor policies?

Despite being cast as a villain by pro-union employees, Adelson is regarded as a generous Jewish man by some Jewish leaders.

Earlier this year the head of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas told the Sun that Adelson was one of the federation's top five financial contributors. He also has given money to various other Jewish organizations -- in fact, he is regularly courted by Jewish leaders for contributions both locally and internationally.

"He is a person who cares about helping people who are less fortunate," said Ronni Epstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation. "If I had a hundred Sheldon Adelsons in this town, we'd have the finest Jewish community in the U.S."

But if some workers in Adelson's Venetian say they are not being given the opportunity to unionize -- if some rabbis as a matter of faith side with the union against the Venetian -- does that make the money Adelson contributes to Jewish interests tainted?

"I once suggested that the Jewish Federation shouldn't accept money from Hugh Hefner," Marx said. "The question is, 'Where do you draw the line?' I've lost members (of my synagogue) who have not liked the stance I've taken on labor issues, but I take those stances as a matter of faith."

Shlensky said that Jewish principles need to come before financial interests.

"When the major owner is Jewish, we try to appeal to his Jewish sensibilities," Shlensky said. If that doesn't work, "You can appeal to the community's sense of ethical justice and hope they come to rely on him less."

The rabbi at Las Vegas' Temple Beth Sholom, which counts Adelson as a member, sees the Adelson case differently -- and says that "demonizing" Adelson is wrong.

"The term social justice is a very dangerous one ... Social justice is also about providing opportunities; social justice is about giving the people of our city a better quality of life through more job opportunities," Rabbi Felipe Goodman of Temple Beth Sholom, a conservative synagogue, said. "It strikes me as unfair that some people try to demonize Mr. Adelson at all costs, while on the other hand he has also brought many jobs and opportunities to our city.

"I consider Mr. Adelson to be a man of great stature and a man of principles ... The Sheldon Adelson I know is a philanthropist and is greatly concerned about the issues that affect him and the people around him, as well as the welfare of those people, be it his employees, the Jewish community, and the community at large."

Marx and Shlensky will be in town until later today, and planned to meet with religious leaders this morning.

"I don't want anyone to think these are simple issues -- they are not. But they need to be discussed," Marx said. Evely Laser Shlensky