“There is no alliance more historic or important than the alliance between black Americans and Jewish Americans.”
That’s what Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said at Black-Jewish Unity Week, which the organization co-hosted with the American Jewish Committee in 2020.
But Morial said this week that that alliance was being “tested” by differences over the Israel-Hamas war. And that divergence could affect how both traditionally Democratic districts approach this year’s elections.
The relationship between these two communities has been going on for many years, and it really took off during the civil rights movement. But it wasn’t without friction.
Mark Dollinger, professor of Jewish studies at San Francisco State University and author of “Black Power, Jewish Politics,” draws attention to the differences between now and the period before and after the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel took control of the Gaza Strip. I think there are strong similarities between the two. The Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem (as well as the Golan Heights and Sinai), and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced.
The following year, just four months before the 1968 U.S. presidential election, a Times article headlined “Jews Troubled Over Black Ties” identified one of the points of contention between the two communities as “Black radical opposition.” “Jewish outrage over Israel’s stance.” Those on the New Left accuse the Jewish state of “Zionist imperialism” and “oppression” of Arabs. ”
Dollinger describes the potential rift that may be unfolding now as “kind of like a second chapter.”
Despite the fact that Jewish American sentiments do not necessarily align with the sentiments of Israel, the only Jewish state in the world, or with the policies of the Israeli government, the rift between the divisions recognized several years ago and the current rift remains strong. There are similarities between them. Many black Americans, especially young, politically engaged black Americans, are particularly concerned about the death toll of Palestinian civilians and oppose Israel’s war effort in Gaza.
Many Jewish Americans support Israel’s right to wage war and U.S. support for Israel’s war effort to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas. And some feel disappointed, even betrayed, that many black people appear to be more sympathetic to the Palestinian point of view than to the Israelis. perspective.
The issues involved feel irreconcilable because many of those participating in the debate believe that their positions represent the moral high ground. And nuanced opinions can be characterized as weak. But there needs to be room for nuance.
I believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization committed to annihilating Israel, that the attack on Israel on October 7th was horrific, and that all hostages taken in the attack must be returned.
At the same time, I believe that the massacre in Gaza (killing thousands of civilians, including thousands of children) is unjust and unacceptable, even in times of war. Relief agencies continue to warn of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and as the International Court of Justice ruled last month, Israel must “do everything within its power” to avoid violating the International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It is necessary to take all possible measures. .
In this respect, I adhere to basic humanism. As Guardian columnist Naomi Klein wrote in October, the progressive response to this war is about the value of “always standing by children over guns, no matter whose gun it is or whose child it is.” It must be something that is rooted in one’s perspective.
It is the lack of these values that frustrates Ruth Messinger, former president of American Jewish World Service. When thinking about the war in Gaza, she says, people cannot “hold two contradictory ideas at the same time.” Both sides insist on framing the conflict as “all or nothing.”
When we spoke, Messenger said that within the Jewish community there is strong support for Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, but that the way Israel defends itself “means death for Gazans and therefore “It’s a bad thing,” he said. She will be instrumental in the future of Israel and the rise of anti-Semitism,” she is often asked. “How can we say all the things we don’t agree with?”
This is because conflicts are complex. And those who insist on expressing it in simplistic terms do so to advance discussion, not to advance understanding.
And ultimately, this insistence on flattening the complexity of issues could have devastating effects on the country’s politics. President Biden’s support for Israel in this war is alienating some black voters. Withdrawing some of his support could alienate some Jewish voters. But winning re-election will require strong commitment and support from both groups.
But Cliff Albright, co-founder of the Black Voter Affairs Fund, said current tensions between the two districts over the issue “clearly threaten our ability to work together in terms of organizing elections.” he lamented. And he singled out black leaders for their positions on the war, including the rising death toll in Gaza and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s support of campaign challengers against members of the so-called “Squad.” I believe this tension is getting worse. It’s a small contingent of progressive lawmakers, all of them people of color, several of whom are black.
When I contacted AIPAC and asked if they were concerned that the organization’s targeting of this squad could cause political friction between the Black and Jewish communities, the same A spokesperson for the group responded via email and did not directly answer my questions, instead writing: “It is fully consistent with our progressive values of supporting a Jewish state.” submitted.
One concern for Democrats is that young progressives who oppose Biden’s positions on the war, including many young blacks, will refuse to vote for him on principle.
But Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations and was instrumental in its reopening last year. So, I pointed out a point that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. : “A protest vote here, or the lack of a protest vote, if it means electing Donald Trump again, will create a more harmful and more painful situation for Palestinians than before.” It will bring
Even if some voters feel that Mr. Biden has sufficiently pushed back on Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his war efforts, they should consider that backlash is unlikely to exist under Trump. In that sense, refusing to vote for Biden as a way to express support for the Palestinians, or at least support a ceasefire, could further damage the Palestinian cause. The moral position of abstention effectively becomes an immoral act, opening the door for further danger to enter.
Although it may be difficult to imagine, the prospects for the Palestinian people could get even worse.