New England Jewish Labor Committee

The New England Jewish Labor Committee is a regional subsidiary of the Jewish Labor Committee, a left-of-center, pro-labor union affinity group promoting the Jewish community within the larger labor movement. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Fiscally Sponsored Project, Organization
Issue Areas: Labor Policy
Parent Organization:

Jewish Labor Committee

Formation:

1934

Executive Director:

Jonathon Feinberg

Location: Lynn, MA View on map

Contents

    Background

    New England Jewish Labor Committee is closely tied to unions with strong presences in New England such as 32BJ SEIU, SEIU 509, Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and other National Education Association (NEA) affiliates, UNITE HERE, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), United Steelworkers (USW), United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the United Auto Workers (UAW). 2 1 3 4 5

    NEJLC executive director Jonathon Feinberg is a former organizer for the Industrial Division, Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) and the RWDSU and was a local campaign staffer for the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 2 Feinberg was trained in organizing by JOIN for Justice, the left-of-center training association for the Jewish community on social issues. 2

    Activism

    The New England Jewish Labor Committee broadly promotes organized labor policy agendas, including the Fight for $15 minimum wage campaign, mandates for paid family and medical leave, legally mandated hospital staffing requirements, unionization of nontraditional workforces such as graduate student teaching assistants and housekeepers, and opposition to school choice. 3 6

    NEJLC works with and supports the Labor and Employment Action Project (LEAP) at Harvard University, and supported the 2019 strike led by the Harvard Graduate Student Union. 3

    Opposition to Second Trump Administration

    NEJLC was one of more than 100 Jewish groups organized by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs to “voice deep alarm and concern over recent attacks on democratic normal and values,” alleging that “this administration has moved quickly and aggressively to weaponize the federal government against many who do not conform to its worldview.” 7

    In April 2025, NEJLC was part of a coalition of 27 Jewish organizations that requested permission to file an amicus brief in federal court in support of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and had her student visa revoked after she published an op-ed critical of American foreign policy with regards to Israel. 8

    In May 2025, NEJLC joined a coalition of left-of-center Jewish organizations opposed to Medicaid and food assistance program changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” of 2025. 9

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    References

    1.  “History.” New England Jewish Labor Committee. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.newenglandjewishlabor.org/who-we-are/history.
    2. “Leadership.” New England Jewish Labor Committee. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.newenglandjewishlabor.org/who-we-are/leadership.
    3. “Past Victories.” New England Jewish Labor Committee. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.newenglandjewishlabor.org/what-we-do/victories.
    4. New England Jewish Labor Committee. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.newenglandjewishlabor.org/.
    5. “NEJLC Welcomes New Executive Director Ari Fertig.” Jewish Boston, May 15, 2019. https://www.jewishboston.com/read/nejlc-welcomes-new-executive-director-ari-fertig/
    6. “Massachusetts Question 1, Nurse-Patient Assignment Limits Initiative (2018).” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Question_1,_Nurse-Patient_Assignment_Limits_Initiative_(2018).
    7. “Over 100 Jewish Groups Voice Deep Alarm and Concern over Recent Attacks on Democratic Norms and Values.” Jewish Council for Public Affairs, February 13, 2025. https://jewishpublicaffairs.org/over-100-jewish-groups-voice-deep-alarm-and-concern-over-recent-attacks-on-democratic-norms-and-values/.
    8. “Jewish Organizations from across the U.S. File Motion to Submit Amicus Brief in Support of Detained Tufts Student.” About Us | Davis Wright Tremaine, April 11, 2025. https://www.dwt.com/about/news/2025/04/amicus-brief-in-support-of-detained-tufts-student.
    9. [1] “Jewish Community Letter Opposing Cuts to Basic Needs Programs.” National Council of Jewish Women, May 12, 2025. https://www.ncjw.org/news/jewish-community-letter-opposing-cuts-to-basic-needs-programs/.