A young Jewish immigrant from Poland, Rose Schneiderman went to work in a cap factory in New York City when she was just thirteen years old.

She saw that women workers earned much less than men, that the factory was cold and dirty, without even clean water for the workers to drink. Rose spoke up for better conditions, and organized 20,000 women to walk out, leaving factories all over the city empty and still. Following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, Rose’s speech at the Metropolitan Opera House galvanized support for better working conditions. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union was born.

Includes historical photos and bibliography, plus a note to families about tikkun olam, repairing the world, a core element of Jewish tradition.