Confronting Anti-Semitism and Racism

About this Episode

When he confronted demonstrators at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va.,hearing the chants of “the Jews will not replace us”, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling came face-to-face with white supremacy and antisemitism. As a child of Holocaust survivors, Liebling has thought about antisemitism his entire life, and as a veteran organizer and activists, he’s worked with a cross-section of groups to combat intolerance in all forms. In this conversation, Liebling describes his experiences in Charlottesville: what brought him there, and what he learned about hate in America. He also reflects on two of his Evolve essays: “Thoughts on Racism and Antisemitism” and “A Brief History and Update on Antisemitism”, paying particular attention to relations between American Jews and African Americans.

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

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Episode Links

• Thoughts on Racism and Antisemitism (Evolve) — A look at some of the causes of tension and misunderstanding between Jews and Blacks in the United States.
• A Brief History and Update on Antisemitism (Evolve) — Antisemitism holds a central and essential place in the world view of contemporary American white nationalists. By contrast, antisemitism that surfaces on the left is not essential, and can and should be addressed.
• Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism | Eric K. Ward
• Broken Alliance: The Turbulent Times Between Blacks and Jews in America: Kaufman, Jonathan (Amazon link) — Jonathan Kaufman paints a vivid, moving portrait of the relationship between blacks and Jews in recent decades — from the strong partnership forged during the civil rights movement of the 1960s to the angry war of words, recriminations, and highly charged confrontations making headlines today. Includes a new preface and epilogue by Kaufman.
• Negroes Are Anti-Semitic Because They're Anti-White (New York Times archives) — A New York Times piece by James Baldwin from 1967
• Jewish groups decry Black Lives Matter platform’s view on Israel - The Washington Post (August 2016)
• Reform Movement Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Racial Justice, Condemn Movement for Black Lives Platform Language on Israel | Religious Action Center
• JCRC Boston Statement Regarding Black Lives Matter Platform - August 2016