Today was the one hundredth yartzheit, the one hundredth anniversary on the Jewish calendar, of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire that claimed the lives of 146 garment workers, mostly Jewish and Italian immigrant women, in lower Manhattan. The anniversary date on the Gregorian calendar is March 25. At a time when collective bargaining rights of workers are being challenged and agencies responsible for regulating worker safety are being underfunded it is worth remembering what the absence of such rights and regulations resulted in one hundred years ago. To mark the anniversary there will be events at various New York locations all month. View PBS' "American Experience Triangle Fire" (55 minutes).
The Triangle Waist Company was located one block east of New York City’s Washington Square Park. On March 25, 1911 a fire broke out on the 8th floor. The workers ran to the fire escape. It collapsed, dropping many to their death. On the 9th floor a critical exit was locked. People on the street watched as the workers began to jump out the windows to their death. Fire trucks arrived but their ladders only reached the 6th floor. The elevators ran as long as they could, workers pressed into the cars; some tumbled down the elevator shaft.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 108 Orchard Street, is offering a tour "Piecing It Together — Immigrants in the Garment Industry" through March 7, 2011. The tour includes a visit to the Levine family’s garment workshop and the Rogarshevskys’ Sabbath table at the turn of the 20th century, when the Lower East Side was the most densely populated place in the world. Explore how immigrants balanced work, family and religion at a time of great change. This month, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Factory Fire, we’ve enhanced the exhibit with a reproduction of the Jewish Daily Forward from March 26, 1911. This rich source allows our visitors to explore how the Rogarshevsky family, and the larger Yiddish-speaking community, learned of and reacted to the tragic news. (text source: The Lower East Side Tenement Museum)
This tour lasts 60 minutes.
Recommended for ages 8 & up.
This tour goes to the 3rd Floor: 38 steps up, 31 down
Adults: $20, Students: $15, Seniors(65+): $15, Members: Free
The culminating centennial event — 100 Years After: The Triangle Fire Remembered and Rethought — COOPER UNION GREAT HALL Event, 7 East 7th Street, March 25th 2011 from 7:00 - 9:30 PM, will be an evening of music, spoken word poetry, and solidarity in commemoration of the 146 victims. Hear Metropolitan Klezmer performing klezmer music written about the tragedy, uncovered 100 years later. Spoken word poetry from youthful voices from the New York City area. Clara Lemlich’s historical speech from the very stage where the Uprising of the 20,000 began. Solidarity Forever by the NYC Labor Chorus. Irish folk rock from Larry Kirwan of Black 47. Worker testimonials from Bangladesh, Egypt, and West Virginia.
The event takes place in the evening following the annual memorial commemoration at the site of the fire. The list of performers and speakers include:
Brian Jones (MC)
Metropolitan Klezmer
Alessandra Belloni and Daughters of Cybele
Gioia Timpanelli (storyteller)
DreamYard (NYC youth poets)
LuLu LoLo (portraying Rose Schneiderman)
Caitlin Belforti (portraying Clara Lemlich)
Larry Kirwan of Black 47
New York Labor Chorus
Kalpona Akter (Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity)
Cecil Roberts (Mine Workers)
Chaumtoli Huq (Taxi Drivers)
Ai Jen Poo (Domestic Workers Union)
Jibari Hill (Catfish Farm Workers)
Annelise Orleck (Labor and Working Class History Association)
For more information contact: 646-448-6402
The sponsors of this evening include:
The Cooper Union
The Education and Labor Collaborative
The Labor and Working Class History Association
The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
The Sparkplug Foundation
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (source: rememberthetrianglefire.org)
For more NY Jewish Culture news and events see my recent articles.
For more info: David Cooper
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