Bund Bulletin Volume 1 Issue 4

December 5, 2024 By Provisional Steering Committee

Dear Bundists,

After another productive meeting, the Provisional Steering Committee (PSC) has a lot to share. To keep this email as short as possible, we’ll jump right in.

We need Tellers for the next PSC election! If you’d like to help oversee the second PSC election (nominations opening soon), please read the necessary steps in the next paragraph.

We’ve created a new form for those who want to be connected to any of the seven Committees (Administration, Communications, Elections, Ideology & Education, Local Development, Membership & Onboarding, and Moderation & Mediation). We recommend everyone interested in aiding the IJLB to connect to any and every Committee they’re interested in contributing to. For those who want to become Tellers for the next PSC election, please enter your interest to join the Elections Committee and check the related box at the bottom of the form.

Next up: the new IJLB Resolutions!

In Resolution #9, the Local Development Committee adopts a new structure for local organizing. The 3-10-3 model, inspired by the organisational methods of the interwar Bund’s youth organization Tsukunft, outlines the process for establishing a local as originating from an Organizing Committee of three IJLB members within a specific geographic area, expanding to ten IJLB members, and hosting a founding chapter meeting to elect three members to three as-yet undefined roles. This proposal has been kept purposefully vague to respect the autonomy of our local formations, and it was passed at the 12/1 Local Development Meeting with a note to further clarify the relationship between locals and a potential international body of delegates at a later date.

Resolution #10 proposes draft Principles of Unity for the IJLB, pending acceptance from the Ideology Committee at an upcoming meeting on Friday, December 13 at 12pm Eastern Standard Time. The Ideology Committee will also be finalizing a Mission Statement and general ideology platform for the IJLB. If you have any changes you’d like us to make to our drafted proposal, please fill out this form mentioning your interest in joining the Ideology Committee and keep an eye on your inbox for future updates.

To streamline discussion and ensure the meeting ends with officially-approved Principles of Unity, we ask that anyone with changes to propose come with concrete, written amendments drafted in advance of the meeting. As outlined in Resolution #7, the Principles of Unity are crucial to moving forward with a functional definition of membership. As the organization grows and evolves, we hope there will be many more opportunities to refine our Principles of Unity and other ideological statements.

And last but not least, Resolution #11 outlines the structure for the convening of our seven Committees. Conveners are tasked with scheduling, planning, publicizing and facilitating meetings. One Convener will rotate out every meeting, providing a lower-commitment opportunity for as many people as possible to develop organizing skills and take part in the process of organizing the Bund. Please check the full Resolution #11 document for more specific information on this process.

In addition to the resolutions passed and proposed, the PSC has agreed to the following action items:

  • Put out public calls for upcoming Ideology Committee meeting attendance and specific, pre-written proposals/amendments

  • Work with existing IJLB committees and interested volunteers to develop structures, processes, and workflows for all committees specified in Resolution #1.

    • As described in Resolution #11, these structures will regulate committees to a standard process of three rotating conveners whose role it is to plan, schedule, and publicise meetings. Conveners are also responsible for ensuring that each meeting has a Chair and note-taker.

  • Work toward clarifying the relationship between locals and the delegate body per the amendment to Resolution #9 (passed at the 12/1 Local Development meeting)

  • Complete outreach and identify point-people for Mass, NY State, PNW, and Canada locals

  • Implement changes to “The Bund” Signal chat, including changing the name to “IJLB Announcements,” adding a description regarding its purpose, and changing permissions so that only admins may post announcements.

    • Note: This change is to move the IJLB away from using Signal as a primary space for public interaction due to the difficulty of moderating and keeping track of communications there. Khaveyrim can submit announcements to psc@jewishbund.org or reach out directly to chat administrators directly on Signal.

  • Determine workflow with Communications Committee on Bulletin creation.

Finally, this Bulletin is meant to be a resource for everyone organizing with the International Jewish Labor Bund. Today our only submissions are from [name redacted] (thank you [name redacted] for the demonstration), but if you have a project you’d like to promote, a local win you’d like to celebrate, or a request or offer for mutual aid, please submit your announcement to the Provisional Steering Committee via our email and we’ll include it in the next Bulletin!

Announcements

  • The Jewish Diasporist Podcast - Building the Bund: The Provisional Steering Committee

    • “ B.Y. and Z.M. are joined by H.A. and M.E. [names converted to initials] Together, they discuss their organising efforts as the Provisional Steering Committee of the International Jewish Labor Bund.”

    • GoFundMe to help the Rayyan family escape Gaza, also linked in the episode description

  • Der Spekter - Bundism in Britain: Then and Now

    • Contrary to popular belief, the Bund was not only active within the borders of European Yiddishland. Whether in Melbourne, Buenos Aires or London, the history of ‘diaspora Bundists’ can teach us about the successes and shortcomings of the movement and its continued relevance and necessity today.

  • Zinelbuch Fundraiser

    • “Cafe Bund, a Polish and Jewish project organising under the Ogniwo Cafe & Bookshop Cooperative in Kraków, Poland, is proudly announcing its first publication!

    • A product of many months of work, the first Zinelbuch explores the contemporary relevance of Bundist thought. It is the first such Polish-language publication in decades. It includes original pieces, previously published works translated by professionals, and colourful photos and illustrations, many of which were originally made for our publication.”

Upcoming Meetings

  • Local Development (15 December, details to come) - Following up from the 12/1 meeting

  • Ideology & Education (Friday 12/13 12:00pm EST) - Finalizing Principles of Unity, Mission Statement, and general ideological platform

  • Moderation & Mediation (when2meet) - Finalizing our Code of Conduct

As always, you can find summaries of all our meetings here, and you can reach us for questions, feedback, or just to say hi at psc@jewishbund.org. Thank you!