The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
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The Arbeter Ring (אַרבעטער־רינג) (Workmen’s Circle) is a Yiddish language-oriented American Jewish fraternal organization loosely connected to the Humanistic Judaism movement. Rooted in the proto-nationalism of Yiddishist and, largely socialist, Jewish movements of late 19th Century Eastern Europe, the Arbeter Ring provides old age homes for its members, as well as schools and camps. It used to provide death benefits and insurance for its members although recently has phased that out. Although it has severely shrunk from the days when it was the largest organization of its kind in the country, it is still an active and viable entity. The newspaper affiliated with the Arbeter Ring, The Forward (פֿאָרװערטס forverts), was reputed to have had the largest national circulation of any non-English language newspaper in the United states. The Forward has recently reemerged in an English language edition and appears to be growing in readership.
While strongly socialist (Bundist) and labor oriented, the political perspective of the Arbeter Ring (http://www.circle.org/resolutions.shtml/) has moved somewhat to the right.
The Workmen's Circle is a nonprofit §501(c)(3)
External links
- The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring (http://www.circle.org/)
- The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring 2004 Resolutions (http://www.circle.org/resolutions.shtml/)
- The Workmen's Circle Camp Kinder Ring (http://www.campkr.com)