We discovered ladies who made history

THIS PARTICULAR March, there's not a more relevant renegade to become acquainted with for Women's History Month than Rose Schneiderman, a redheaded turn-of-the-last-century labor organizer who stood 4 feet 11 and was known as "the red Rose of anarchy."

Schneiderman was a Polish immigrant who worked as a factory seamstress, sewing linings into caps. She came into prominence after a tragedy 100 years ago this month: the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in New York. Both she and the event are featured in exhibits at the new National Museum of American Jewish History, on Independence Mall.

"Rose is an iconic figure who most of our visitors, I think, don't know about," said curator Josh Perelman.

Some background, then: At the time of the fire, on March 25, 1911, fully half of New York's Jewish immigrants worked in the garment industry, along with many Italians. Women sewed piecework for long hours under filthy conditions, at most earning $5 a week. At the eight-story Triangle factory, the bosses kept the doors locked to keep workers confined to their stations. "Fire broke out," Perelman said, "and the women were stuck."

One hundred forty-six died, many after jumping from eighth-floor windows to escape. Many were teenagers.

Schniederman had worked at a different factory starting at age 13 and had done some union organizing. At a memorial rally for the women lost in the fire, she addressed a crowd of 50,000. "Too much blood has been spilled," she said. "It is up to the working people to save themselves. And the only way is through a strong working-class movement."

Her words that day helped galvanize the American labor movement, Perelman said. "What can I say? It's a powerful speech."

At the museum, Schneiderman is one of 18 Jewish Americans celebrated in a hall-of-fame exhibit called "Only in America." A film clip about her plays just before one celebrating film director Steven Spielberg, another hall-of-famer.

If the shark from "Jaws" is on screen, you've just missed her. The three-minute clips play in alphabetical order in a 42-minute loop, so it's easy to calculate roughly when Schneiderman or Sandy Koufax or Barbra Streisand will loop back around.

The "Only in America" exhibit is on the museum's ground floor. Exhibits on labor unions, New York's garment industry and the Triangle fire are on the third floor, just around the corner from the Jewish-mobster display. Among other things, you'll learn what a shirtwaist is (essentially, a blouse). As it turns out, shirtwaists and skirts were the first women's separates, liberating half of humanity from the tyranny of the dress.

In this same corner of the museum, there's a hands-on interactive where you can push a button and hear an actress recite from Schneiderman's autobiography in a voice that seems to be channeling Dr. Ruth.

If the birth of the labor movement piques your interest, the museum is also sponsoring a speakers' program on Thursday about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Schneiderman's great-niece, Lisa Kleiner, will be reading a eulogy that her great-aunt gave for the women who died.

MORE GREAT DAMES: On the museum's ground floor, an exhibit on Estee Lauder makes a sly nod to the daily juggling act that working women pull off every day. The great cosmetic mogul's executive datebook for April 6, 1974, has the word "seder" underlined twice. Her handwritten entries for April 4 include a business meeting and this reminder: "go home - order chicken matzos etc."

On the second floor, a tribute to Jewish performers includes laugh-out-loud-funny clips of comedians Gilda Radner and Sarah Silverman, among others. To find it, navigate past the delightful exhibit on post-World War II suburbia and listen for the sound of people laughing out loud.

The National Museum of American Jewish History, 5th and Market streets. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 10 a.m.- to 5:30 p.m. weekends. $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and youths 13 to 21. Under 13 free. Ticket sales on Saturdays are restricted, so visit www.nmajh.org for details before you go.

To reserve tickets for the Triangle fire program at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, call 215-923-2940. They're $36 apiece, including a reception, and they're going fast.