Shalhevet Institute Explores Black and Orthodox Jewish Identities
The four panelists were invited to give a constructive rebuke to the Orthodox community for the way that it deals with issues of race.
The four panelists were invited to give a constructive rebuke to the Orthodox community for the way that it deals with issues of race.
There is something tragic about the civils rights movement—the very fact that it was needed in the first place. Why did it have to be such a big deal to give Blacks the right to vote? By today’s standards, it seems downright absurd to deny Blacks, or anyone else for that matter, this fundamental right.
Of all the complicated issues running through American Jewish life, one of the most complicated is surely the relationship between Jews and African-Americans, which has frayed in recent years. A key question for both communities as we go forward is: How can we inject more love into the relationship?
As we all know, Rachel Dolezal was by no means the first white American to take on aspects of African-Americanness in her persona — calling Elvis, is anybody home?
An incoming New York City councilwoman said the wave of so-called knockout attacks may be caused by tension between blacks and Jews.
An African American students group took out ads in college newspapers blasting \”Israel Apartheid week\” organizers for abusing the term. In a full page entitled \”words matter\” and appearing in the newspapers on April 7, Vanguard Leadership Group accuses Students for Justice in Palestine of a \”false and deeply offensive\” characterization of Israel.
A planned appearance by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in Pittsburgh has caused friction between the city\’s Jewish and black communities. Farrakhan, who has stepped up his campaign of anti-Semitism in recent years, is scheduled to appear on a panel Friday on a live radio broadcast from the Pennsylvania city.
The first African-American female rabbi will leave her congregation this summer. Rabbi Alysa Stanton\’s contract with Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, S.C., was not renewed, the Forward reported Thursday. \”We felt Rabbi Stanton has brought a lot of gifts to the congregation, but we felt she wasn’t a good fit for the direction we’re going,” board president Samantha Pilot told the Forward. “I can tell you with certainty that race — I never heard that come up once during her tenure or now. It’s a non-issue.\”\n