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Histadrut Activities The Histadrut is the Israeli trade Union Congress. Made in 1920, it was a Jewish trade union that fought for better pay and benefits for its members. It wanted to provide a federation for all Jewish Workers in Palestine, promote land settlement, promote workers’ rights, and promote Jewish employment. It soon grew to become a vital part of Israel: it owned the largest bank in the country, many businesses and factories, and it employed the most people in the country. By 1989, it employed close to 280,000 people. It also worked hand-in-hand with Labor Zionism. After joining a kibbutz, a collective settlement, in Palestine, Meir at first planted trees and did menial work like working in the chicken coop and kitchens. However, due to her leadership capabilities, she was soon chosen to be the representative of her kibbutz to Histadrut. In 1954, after her trip across the United States, she joined the Executive Committee of the Histadrut. She soon became the head of its political division. In 1938, Meir attended the évan conference, assembled by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as a Jewish observer from Palestine. The conference was called to discuss how to handle the thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. Meir, however, was disappointed because many of the countries present, except the Dominican Republic, made excuses not to accept the refugees. |