WASHINGTON (JTA) — The new president of the AFL-CIO rejected boycotting Israel.
The 11.5 million-member labor federation is "proud to stand with the JLC to oppose boycotting Israel," Richard Trumka said, during a talk to the Jewish Labor Committee at its annual Human Rights Dinner on Oct. 27. Trumka also spoke out against both anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
"In America, we sometimes think that anti-Semitism is part of the past, but the truth is that it’s like a weed that can always grow back," he said. "And that’s especially true during hard times. You know, sometimes it’s couched as ‘anti-Zionism.’ Other times there’s no effort to disguise it at all.”
He added, "The Jewish community here — and around the world — has never had a stronger ally than the AFL-CIO," and expressed support for President Obama’s peace initiative in the Middle East.
