2 of 2
"We are now in a historic uprising against the institutionalized racism and violence that exists in every corner in our country, perpetuated by major institutions, the police, other authorities and racist whites against black women, men and children. The chasm between these unrelenting attacks on black people and our promise as a nation — that all people are equal under the law — is sickening and unacceptable.
As I see the police crackdown on demonstrators, I flash back to the social and political turmoil I witnessed during my youth in Cape Town, where police officers used the power of the state to beat black citizens with clubs and take them into police custody, some of them never to be seen again. By elementary school, I was accompanying my parents as they protested apartheid and campaigned for progressive legislators, including Jewish members of Parliament such as the anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman.
At rallies, I wore protest signs draped over my shoulders like a walking billboard, proclaiming my family’s outrage. In high school, I learned how the African National Congress — the political party created to fight racism — was banned by the white South African government, and how speaking out or peacefully protesting was met with government-sanctioned violence.
In recent days, Jewish colleagues and friends have asked me how to respond, as Jews, at this historic time to make sure that we can finally make national change that sticks. There is a hunger to be involved, to take action, and to show up as partners and allies. And we must seize this moment when the entire country —as well as allies from countries all around the world — are laser-focused on racial justice in America. What’s inspiring me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ sage advice that “if you’re going to go in an opposite direction, you need to consciously exercise an opposite force.”
To be a part of this “opposite force” of taking America in a new direction we, as Jews, must make it known that we stand with the oppressed, not the oppressor. We must make it clear that black lives matter and we must join our black sisters and brothers by protesting, providing financial resources, supporting grassroots and national organizations, and most important, demanding change from our government.
Every one of us should be voting and mobilizing for leaders in every sector of society who will recognize and root out institutionalized racism, hold police accountable for their actions and protect First Amendment rights. As Jews, we must ensure that our community is diverse and inclusive.
As the historic uprising against four centuries of structural racism continues and as COVID-19 continues to infect and kill Americans of color disproportionately, American Jews have a choice to make: Step up and participate — as so many Jews have — or allow a historic opportunity to repair a deep breach in the world to pass us by."
What a bunch of bullshit but his fellow Jews know what this is about.
No regrets what so ever. Remember what they want is division and what they don't want is the finger pointed at them, their privilege and their lies.
