Exploration of Topic

Right now I am wearing a t-shirt. A lot of you are probably wearing one too. NFTYites have a lot of t-shirts. I’ve always said that it is a strange part of the NFTY culture that every time a NFTYite has an idea of says something funny, everybody says, “Hey, we should make a t-shirt.

Most of the time, nothing comes of this. Some of the time, and in the case of seemingly every regional event, t-shirts are made. Ordering a t-shirt is a relatively simple process. You find a printer, you discuss the design, your order them. Easier yet, you might go to a website and go through that whole process in ten minutes.

Take a step back, though. You’re not just ordering t-shirts. You’re ordering Jewish t-shirts! Judaism teaches that slavery (or by modern extension, sweat shop labor) is unjust. Most of the t-shirts bought and sold in the United States and Canada are made overseas in countries with much lower labor standards.

Let’s go back to the question I pose in the topic of this iTorah. Where does your t-shirt come from? In all likelihood, you don’t know. You never stopped to think about it. So take your t-shirt off. Look at the label. If it says that it’s made in China or in South America or in Southeast Asia, it may have been made in sweat shop. The one I’m wearing right now says, “Made in Haiti.” Probably in a sweat shop.

Related Questions
Has NFTY done anything about this?

A quick look through the NFTY Resolutions Encyclopedia, which you can find at http://www.nfty.org/leadership/references/, reveals a resolution from 2004, which states that by the 2005 Mid-Year Board Meeting, it will be made possible and required that all NFTY regions adhere to a sweat-free merchandise policy, the details of which are set out in the resolution.

Is your region doing this? I don’t know. You might not know. Ask your Regional SAVP. If your region isn’t doing this, push for it.

Why is this important?

As NFTYites, we are the leading edge of the URJ. As such, we carry the banner of Reform Judaism in our generation. We can not engage in hypocrisy. If we preach fair labor practices, we must back up our words with actions. Those actions include buying from companies that practice sweat-free labor.

Taking Action
Do the Research

Taking action on this topic is easy. When your TYG makes t-shirts, or when you make t-shirts, do a little research on the company that manufactured them.

A Few Suggestions

There are tons of sources for ethical clothing out there. Check out The Clean Clothes Connection at www.cleanclothesconnection.org for a list of companies. You just have to look!

And as an added bonus, I’ll make it easy for you. Here is one company that prints only sweat-free t-shirts and lets you support Israel: T Max. T Max not only uses sweat-free t-shirts, but they’re inexpensive and they’re Israeli. You’ll be stimulating the Israeli economy when you buy from them. Visit their website at www.tmax.co.il.

iTorah Lishmah

Your place in cyberspace to explore the lessons further!
See what others think about this topic and tell others what you think at our online discussion forum.

Have you tried to bring this up in your TYG or Region before? Did it work? Is this really an issue? Do you believe that sweat-shops are an important step for the economy of a developing country?

David Wilensky lives and goes to his junior year of high school in Austin, Texas. David would like to point out that Austin is the only part of Texas worth visiting. David is currently El Presidente of his TYG, ATT (Austin Temple Teens), and an active member of TOR. He also went to NFTY National Convention in February and spent the summer at Kutz, though he is a veteran of URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas. David wears green cowboy boots and he likes armadillos, banging respectfully during Birkat Hamazon and would like y’all to know that an Israeli tomato goes,” Ehhhhhh.” That is all.

Copyright ©2005 Union for Reform Judaism Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning and the Youth Division