American organized labor, once closely aligned with Jewish Americans and supportive of Israel, has seen a significant shift in its stance over the past century. In the early 20th century, Jewish immigrants played a central role in shaping the labor movement. Samuel Gompers, who led the American Federation of Labor, was of Jewish ancestry. Other influential figures included Sidney Hillman and David Dubinsky, both immigrants from territories under Imperial Russia. Their leadership helped forge strong ties between organized labor, Jewish communities, and later, support for the State of Israel.
The initial connection was further cemented when Israel’s founding political ideology was rooted in “Labor Zionism,” which emphasized social democratic principles such as nationalization of industries and collective farming. The Histadrut labor federation in Israel shared common ground with American unions at the time.
However, by the 1960s and 1970s, major changes altered these relationships. The rise of the New Left brought new perspectives to American progressivism and foreign policy. Following the 1967 Six-Day War and Israel’s subsequent territorial gains, segments of the American left began viewing Israel through a post-colonial lens. Domestically, tensions emerged between unions led by Jewish Americans and other progressive groups.
Israel’s internal politics also shifted during this period. After decades dominated by left-wing coalitions, economic instability led to market reforms and increasing competitiveness from right-wing parties starting in 1977. As Israel evolved into a more market-oriented society known for its technology sector, its traditional alignment with left-leaning movements weakened.
In the United States, some Jewish intellectuals became prominent neoconservatives during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. Irving Kristol wrote about how organized labor was moving away from earlier traditions: “Meanwhile, organized labor itself is moving away from the nonpolitical tradition of Samuel Gompers and is developing closer official ties with the Democratic party… That ideology—as expressed, for instance, in the conferences and publications of the Socialist International—is pro-Third World, anti-Israel.”
Kristol also noted that unions historically associated with Jewish leadership were changing demographically: “To begin with, there is the little noticed fact that the so-called ‘Jewish unions’ are on the verge of disappearing… future leaders will have no reason to be especially concerned with Jewish issues.”
By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, divisions deepened as U.S.-Israel relations became increasingly partisan following events like September 11th and ongoing conflict in Israel-Palestine. The Republican Party grew more openly supportive of Israel while parts of organized labor moved toward criticism or opposition.
Recent years have seen public disputes over union stances on Israeli policy. In 2025, for example, controversy arose when members of the National Education Association voted to break ties with the Anti-Defamation League—a move vetoed by union leadership—while other union documents were criticized for downplaying antisemitism or supporting Palestinian narratives regarding Israeli history.
Smaller unions took even stronger positions; United Electrical Workers labeled Israeli military actions as “genocide” and called for an end to U.S. support for Israel. On university campuses such as Cornell University, graduate student unions affiliated with UE accused opponents within their membership of “weaponizing antisemitism.”
Despite these trends among institutions on the left—including organized labor—most Jewish Americans remain aligned with Democratic politics overall; however, there are signs that patterns may be shifting along lines similar to those observed among Christian voters in recent decades.
As organized labor’s relationship with both Jewish Americans and Israel continues to evolve amid broader changes within progressive politics in America and abroad (https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-big-labor-lost-its-love-for-jewish-americans-and-israel/), historical alliances have given way to new ideological divides.
