The Workers Circle (formerly known as the Workmen’s Circle and the Arbeter Ring) is a Jewish cultural organization that supports left-of-center social justice politics. The group has several chapters, including a headquarters in New York and a notable chapter in Boston. ^{1 2} Originating in 1900 as a mutual-aid society, the Workers Circle rose to 84,000 national members with a strong base in socialist, communist, and labor-union politics by 2023. ¹

In 2025, the Workers Circle, as a member of the Not Above the Law Coalition, was listed as one of several organizations as planning and participating in #TeslaTakedown protests across the country opposing Tesla CEO Elon Musk due to his ties to President Donald Trump and the Second Trump Administration. ³

History and Background

The Workers Circle (then known as the “Workmen’s Circle”) originated in 1900 as a mutual aid society for Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the United States based in New York City. Its operations were tightly bound with numerous labor unions and its political aspirations tended to be far-left and secular. Workers Circle’s schools closed for May Day and the anniversary of the Russian Communist Revolution yet remained open for Yom Kippur. During its early years, the Workers Circle contained many socialist and communist members, the latter of whom unsuccessfully attempted to take control of the organization in the 1920s with support from the Soviet Union. ^{4 5 6}

By the 1930s, the Workers Circle had expanded its operations beyond providing insurance and welfare for families to managing a national network of health clinics, schools, camps, and libraries. It also taught and maintained Yiddish as a language in Jewish communities. ^{5 6} Membership peaked at 84,000 in the 1920s and declined to around 50,000 after the communists split away. ⁷

Over the middle of the century, the Workers Circle moderated its politics and religious views. For instance, the membership and policy goals switched from opposition to support for Israel and Zionism, and synagogue attendance became more prevalent. In the 1980s, executive director Jack Noskowitz said, ”We stopped talking about socialism and began talking more about Jewish cultural values.” ⁷

Membership continued to decline, reaching 26,000 by 1996, when the organization maintained a “Democratic-liberal agenda,” including strong support for universal government-provided or subsidized health care. ⁸

In the late 2000s, the Workers Circle attempted to combat steeply declining membership, which had fallen to 9,500 in 2010. In 2008, Ann Toback, a “lifelong progressive activist” who previously worked for the AFL-CIO. ^{9 10} became the first female CEO of the organization. In 2009, the Workers Circle restructured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Workers Circle continued to be involved in labor activism, and in 2020, Toback spoke at the Women’s March. ^{11 10}

In 2020, the organization officially changed its name from the Workmen’s Circle to the Workers Circle, as “a gender-neutral nod to the hardworking activism of its members.” ^{12 9}

On January 17, 2024, members of Workers Circle partnered with members of activist campaign United for Democracy to protest outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. while the court heard oral arguments in Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Protesters stated that they were protesting potential outcomes in both cases that could “eliminate the ability of federal agencies to make rules to execute laws that Congress has passed that deliver benefits and protections like Social Security, health and safety standards, environmental protections and more.” ¹³ Both cases were linked to the legal doctrine of “Chevron deference,” so named after a 1984 Supreme Court ruling in Chevron v. NRDC in which judges, “defer to certain agency interpretations of statutes they administer.” ¹⁴ The court ultimately overruled “Chevron deference” in 2024. ¹⁵

Initiatives

Yiddish Language Courses

One of the Workers Circle’s main initiatives is its Yiddish language program. The Workers Circle hosts events in Yiddish with experts and academics who present to members on Yiddish culture, language, music, and history. ¹⁶

Schools

The Workers Circle has two education centers it labels “secular, progressive Jewish Sunday schools,” one in New York and one in Boston. Both schools offer educational formation for infants through 8th graders. ^{17 18 19}

The Workers Circle also maintains a College Network which recruits college students and young adults to engage in Yiddish cultural activities and left-wing social activism. ²⁰

The Workers Circle Action

The Workers Circle Action is the Workers Circle’s 501(c)(4) sister organization. ²¹ The group has advocated against President Donald Trump’s policies, especially those focused on restricting immigration. ²² In March 2025, Workers Circle Action released a statement calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-American Columbia University student ordered deported over alleged support for the terrorist group Hamas. ²³

Advocacy

Democracy

According to the Workers Circle, “right now the US is experiencing a surge in fascist political tactics as former President Donald Trump and the right-wing extremists and lawmakers in his thrall try to consolidate power.” ²⁴

The Workers Circle has supported expanded voting access, “an end to the racist filibuster,” and “democratic rights in the workplace.” To this end, the Workers Circle sets up “Democracy Circles,” groups of up to seven individuals led by a “circle convener,” that fights for left-wing policies through projects like a “phonebank to voters of color with information to help them surmount barriers to voting.” ^{24 25}

The Workers Circle has previously advocated for eliminating the legislative filibuster in the U.S. Senate. The group cited both former President Barack Obama and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. claiming that the latter called it “the legislative incinerator in which every smoldering hope for racial justice has been converted into ashes” ²⁶ while the former allegedly called it a “Jim Crow relic.” ²⁶

Social Justice

The Workers Circle claims that Judaism has a heritage of fighting for social and economic justice. It proclaims itself to be an “anti-racist organization” fighting to change the culture and politics of the United States which are based on fundamental inequality and systemic discrimination. ²⁷

In December 2023, the Workers Circle honored members of Black Voters Matter at a gala event. The gala was also a joint initiative between the Workers Circle and the Black and Jewish Partnership for Democracy with Black Voters Matter in January 2024 to increase voter participation within African-American communities. In 2023, the Workers Circle also started the Democracy Circles initiative, a left-of-center grassroots organizing program for African-American communities and voters. ^{28 29}

Economics

the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, and raising the minimum wage. ³⁰ The Workers Circle participated in the Fight for 15 campaign. ⁹

Immigration

The Workers Circle supports left-of-center immigration policies including the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which would permit undocumented migrants to access the American healthcare market established by the Affordable Care Act. ³¹

The Workers Circle has worked with the New York Immigration Coalition and Make the Road New York on pro-immigrant campaigns in New York City. ⁹

Israel and Antisemitism

The Workers Circle has advocated in favor of the state of Israel, a two-state solution, and has opposed the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement against Israel. ³²

In 2021, the Workers Circle rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s new definition of antisemitism for being too broad, stating, “we strongly believe that this definition unnecessarily inhibits expression as it relates to Israel.” ³² In August 2023, the Workers Circle resigned from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations over disagreements with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as well as disagreements on policies regarding the State of Israel. According to the letter, Workers Circle CEO Ann Toback claimed, “Our focus on democracy is not being reflected by this organization’s representation of us.” ³³

During a 2020 interview with Common Dreams, Workers Circle CEO Ann Toback claimed that a supposed rise in global antisemitism is “really coming from the Trump administration and allies, and a growth of white nationalism in the United States.” She argued that then-President Donald Trump’s response to the 2017 Unite the Right rally emboldened and empowered individuals “to make both threats and perpetrate violence against Jews, against blacks, against Muslims, against many populations that are marginalized and at risk.” ⁹

In 2019, Toback wrote an op-ed denouncing then-President Trump’s executive order empowering local officials and universities to crack down on antisemitism on university campuses. Toback claimed that the executive order would encourage censorship which is antithetical to a free society. ³⁴

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack against the State of Israel by the terror group Hamas, Workers Circle released a statement two days later condemning the attack but also calling for “all parties to uphold international law and create a pathway forward for human rights and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”  ²⁹

In October 2023, the Boston chapter of the Workers Circle withdrew from the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council after the Boston Workers Circle co-sponsored a pro-Palestinian protest with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). ³⁵

In December 2023, Workers Circle CEO Ann Toback claimed during an interview with the New York Times “I am not a huge fan of statements… We have always focused on a domestic agenda. It’s not anti anything.”  ²⁹

In March 2025, it released a statement on its website calling for the release of Columbia student and alleged Hamas supporter Mahmoud Khalil while calling the ongoing Israel-Hamas war “Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.”  ²³

#TeslaTakedown Protests

In March 2025, former Wall Street Journal journalist Asra Nomani released a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account listing several organizations, political groups, and coalitions allegedly involved in planning and participating in #TeslaTakedown, a series of national protests against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his ties to President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Not Above the Law Coalition, of which the Workers Circle is a member, was listed as one of the organizations involved in the protests. According to Nomani,, the Workers Circle has been a member of the Not Above the Law Coalition since June 2023. ³

Leadership

Ann Toback is the CEO of the Workers Circle. Prior to joining the organization, Toback worked as assistant executive director at the Writers Guild of America, East from 1999 to 2008. While at the Writers Guild, Toback led the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike on the East Coast. She earned her law degree from Boston University School of Law. ²⁸

Melissa Karachalios is the deputy executive director for the Workers Circle. She joined the group in 2018 as the director of development and external affairs and was promoted to deputy executive director and development director in 2020. Prior to joining the Workers Circle, she was Division director of member and unit services at Hadassah, WZOA, Inc., and director of membership and communications for the National Council of Jewish Women. (NCJW). ³⁶

Eva Zasloff is president of the board of directors at Workers Circle. A long-time activist with Workers Circle, Zasloff has sat on the organization’s board since 2012. She also formerly worked as vice president for development at the Workers Circle. ³⁷

Finances

According to its tax returns, the Workers Circle files under an older version of its name, The Workmen’s Circle Arbeter Ring Incorporated. In 2023, the Workers Circle reported $3,390,094 in total revenue, $4,364,588 in total expenses, and $35,402,116 in total assets. That year, the group received $134,376 in government grants. ³⁸

The Workers Circle lists several institutional donors, including the New York Immigration Coalition, the Jewish Education Project/UJA Federation of New York, the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the R&S Strauss Family Foundation, and the Chaim Schwartz Foundation. ³⁹

1. “About Us.” Workers Circle. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.circle.org/about-us
2. “Home.” Boston Workers Circle. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://circleboston.org/
3. “@AsraNomani X Post.” X. March 30, 2025. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://x.com/AsraNomani/status/1906281197430329459
4. ^[1] Margolick, David. “Workmen’s Circle: 85 Years Of Aid To The Jews.” The New York Times. November 10, 1985. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/10/nyregion/workmen-s-circle-85-years-of-aid-to-jews.html.
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