Discover the complex history of Black-Jewish relations in America, from moments of historic collaboration and solidarity to periods of tension and division.
Essential Questions
- In what ways do Black and Jewish communities have a shared history in the U.S., and how have they related to one another over time?
- What moments of tension have emerged between Black and Jewish communities, and what factors contributed to them?
- How can Black and Jewish communities build partnerships today to help create a more just and inclusive society for all?
Big Ideas
- Shared Struggles, Mutual Support: Black and Jewish communities have historically faced discrimination, oppression, and systemic barriers, leading to moments of collaboration and mutual support.
- Cooperation and Conflict: Despite periods of cooperation, the relationship between Black and Jewish communities has also been marked by tensions, economic disparities, and misunderstandings.
- Toward Understanding and Unity: By acknowledging both historical grievances and commonalities, Black and Jewish communities can work toward greater understanding and unity.
Grade Level: 6-12
Subject(s)
- U.S. History
- Civics
- African American Studies
- Jewish Studies
Rationale/Teacher Notes
This resource explores the complex history of Black-Jewish relations in the United States, tracing moments of collaboration and tension from the 19th century through today. It is designed to help students understand how different communities can find common ground while also navigating real differences and conflicts. This resource is designed to serve as essential context before:
- Understanding Jewish participation in the Civil Rights Movement
- Discussing contemporary issues of racism, antisemitism, and intergroup relations
- Exploring coalition-building and allyship across different communities
- Discussing identity, particularly for students who belong to multiple communities
- What Makes a Good Ally?: Prepare students to evaluate the successes and challenges of Black-Jewish coalition-building throughout history through small group discussion, bellringer prompt or think-pair-share using the following prompts:
- What does it mean to be an ally to another group or community?
- What does good allyship look like? What actions demonstrate solidarity?
- What can make allyship difficult or complicated?
- Should allies prioritize their own community’s issues or support other communities first?
- Can you be an ally even if your own community is also struggling?
- Guided Practice – Developing Empathy: Freewriting is a creative exercise in which students write without stopping for a certain amount of time. Students should watch the following video and engage in a five-minute freewriting exercise. After the exercise is finished, open a class discussion by asking your students to share if they have ever experienced feeling alienated.
- Conducting Research: Ask your students to choose two of the following people who serve as inspirations for civil rights, or have them choose their own. Then research them and in one paragraph, explain three powerful lessons they learned from them:
- Esther Swirk Brown
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
- Rosa Parks
- Mamie Till (Emmitt’s mother)
- Rabbi Joachim Prinz
- Rabbi Prinz: Watch MLK’s close friend Rabbi Joachim Prinz’s speech from the iconic March on Washington in 1963.
- What is Rabbi Prinz’s lesson? Do you think it should be a model for Black-Jewish relations today?
- Matching Expectations:
- The way people see themselves doesn’t always align with how others see them. For example, many American Jews saw themselves as Jewish, not white, but many Black Americans saw them as white.
- In your own life, can you relate to being perceived differently than the way you view yourself?
- What is an example of a time when someone else saw you, your family, or your community differently than you saw it? How did that affect you?
- Prioritizing Issues:
- How should communities prioritize their own causes in relation to the causes of other groups?
- Should communities prioritize their own community first, or should they tackle the most pressing issues?
- Are Black civil rights a Jewish issue? Is antisemitism a Black issue? What makes something a uniquely “Jewish” or “Black” issue?
- Many Black slaves in America felt a strong historical connection with:
- Their slave owners
- The Israelites of the Bible
- Jews of Color
- The Egyptians from the Bible
- The Jewish president of Sears Julius Rosenwald and African American educator Booker T. Washington worked together to build ________ that ________ more than 600,000 Black children :
- Schools, educated
- Community centers, inspired
- Laws, limited
- Laws, liberated
- What event caused division in the Jewish and Black American communities?
- The civil rights movement of the 60s
- The rise of the Nazi Party in Germany
- The Holocaust
- The murder of Leo Frank
- Which Jewish movement did many Black activists and organizations support?
- Zionism
- Hasidic
- Hebraicist
- Reform
- What was known as the golden period of Black-Jewish relations?
- 1930s
- 1950s-1960s
- 1970s-1980s
- 1990s
- ELI Talks, What Makes This Jew Different Than All Other Jews? Race, Difference, and Safety in Jewish Spaces
- Kylie Unell, My mom is white and my dad is black. Don’t call me a ‘Jew of Color.’ – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Meaningful People Podcast, Amare Stoudemire – From the NBA to Judaism
- Tablet, In Light of Rising Anti-Semitism, Rethinking Black-Jewish Relations
- My Jewish Learning, Black-Jewish Relations in America
- People of the Pod: Black-Jewish Congressional Caucus
- NBC News, “For decades a dividing line, Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Mo., sees new hope”
- Rabbi Joachim Prinz Speech at the March on Washington