National Committee for Labor Israel

NCLI was founded in 1923 as the National Labor Committee for the Organized Jewish Workers in Palestine. Following some minor name changes, the title of National Committee for Labor Israel was settled upon by 1949 (see Box 1, Folder 1 “Articles of Incorporation”). The primary function of the non-sectarian organization was to collect donations to aid the growing immigrant population and urban development in Palestine/Israel. As the only dedicated fundraising vehicle in the United States for the Histadrut (Israel’s labor federation), NCLI helped establish social institutions that provided an infrastructure for the newly founded nation. Aside from fundraising, the mission of the Committee included strengthening the bonds between U.S. and Israeli labor sectors and "building support for and educating the public about the achievements of Labor Israel." 1

NCLI was headquartered in New York City and oversaw regional fundraising offices in other cities such as Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia. The Committee’s administrative structure encompassed a National Council, a Board of Directors, an Executive Committee, a Trade Union Council, and the Histadrut Campaign department (among others), but it is unclear what hierarchy existed between these or how this reflected decision-making processes. This lack of clarity seems to have been a problem within NCLI itself, as evidenced by contentious correspondence found throughout Series I and II and repeated proposals for restructuring and reorganization. An additional source of confusion may have been the name of the organization itself; while the “Histadrut Campaign” was a major component of the Committee, donations and correspondence sometimes came to NCLI erroneously addressed to, simply, “the Histadrut.” Other related but distinct entities included the Histadrut Assistance Fund, the American Trade Union Council for Histadrut, and the Histadrut Development Foundation.

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