Max Pine (Hebrew: מקס פיין‎; 1868–1928)

Biography

Max Pine was born in Lubavich, Russia, and emigrated to the United States at a young age.

In 1890, he arrived in the United States and initially worked as a coal miner. Later, he switched professions to become a tailor. During this time, labor conditions in the tailoring industry were deplorable, and Pine began to advocate for workers' rights. He quickly became a leader in the Tailors' Union.

In 1897, Pine began working for the Yiddish newspaper Forverts and in 1901 entered the printing business. Simultaneously, he organized meetings of workers that led to the establishment of the Socialist Party in New York City, where he became the party's first candidate for city council.

In 1906, he left his printing business to serve as secretary of the United Hebrew Trades. Pine resigned from this position when a tailors' strike broke out and returned to his printing business with his son. Concurrently, he continued to encourage organizational and labor activism among various sectors of the Jewish community. He quickly rose to prominence as a leader in the Jewish labor movement in the United States.

Max Pine and Zionism

Initially, Pine was aligned with the Bundist movement, which opposed Zionism and advocated for Jews to integrate into their host countries while preserving Yiddish culture. However, in 1921, after a series of personal meetings with Berl Katznelson aimed at strengthening ties between Jewish workers in Eretz Israel and Jewish workers in the diaspora, Pine changed his stance and became a supporter of Zionism. He also became active in the American branch of the Labor Zionist movement.

Legacy

In honor of Max Pine, trade schools for vocational training were established, led by Samuel Mstowski, which were named "Max Pine Workshops." In Tel Aviv, the workshop became the first vocational school in Israel in 1929, with the assistance of engineer Moshe Feldstein. Today, the first vocational school is known as Max Pine College. This institution expanded over the years and became a vital part of the network of vocational schools supported by the General Federation of Workers in Israel.