Revitalizing the Black-Jewish Alliance

...many of us know better, far better...

...Are you optimistic or pessimistic...

...The National Urban League has launched a public service advertising campaign to win support for equal opportunity...

...Many of us know that we are bound in a mutuality of interest and commitment...

...It is destructive of the values of our society...

...But I will not accept that these groups characterize our two communities...

...In the end, the single lesson that emerges most clearly from the history of black-Jewish relations in this country is that these two groups have substantially shared each other's pain, have helped each other's causes and have been closer to each other than any of America's other groups...

...Finally, he turned to the Lord and said, "I'm optimistic...

...Well, we, too, have our neo-conservatives and those who march in step with a Reaganite view of society...

...But I also know that other ethnic groups were allowed to occupy an inner space and an economic role that have historically been denied the blacks...

...Some of our most elitist institutions once had strict limits on the number of Jews they would hire or the number they would allow to be admitted to courses of study...

...It is this pattern that provides the basis for the continuing coalitions of our history, those that have fought against slavery, against economic injustice, against racism and anti-Semitism...

...For without affirmative steps, we simply sanction existing discriminatory patterns and inequities...

...I believe, as well, that the Palestinians are a people whose natural longing for self-determination must be fairly addressed, that the Palestinian people cannot be rejected simply because they have been so badly led, so mistaken in allowing a terrorist band to monopolize their cause...

...John Jacob is President of the National Urban League...

...And that is why, even in the face of the present friction, we should pay attention to and celebrate the continuing coalition on issues that primarily benefit people who suffer from socioeconomic disadvantage...

...he frowned...

...Somewhere along the line we stopped talking with each other and started talking at each other...

...For the facts are grim: • Blacks are 10 percent of the population, but 20 percent of the unemployed and 40 percent of the discouraged workers...

...On the seventh day, as the Lord was resting, He turned to the rabbi and said, "Well, rabbi, what do you think...

...It is the home of blood relatives of American Jews...

...I don't want to underestimate the importance of these several sources of friction, but I think we should take the long view...

...By every possible standard of measurement, blacks occupy the worst housing, get the most inferior education and have the least access to quality health care...

...One woman, speaking about black professionals—judges, lawyers, doctors—said, "Why, they're almost as good as we are...

...I do not mean, not for a second, that only blacks are suffering...

...And, stretching back before the negative American quota system as it operated only a generation or so ago there is the Russian Pale, and all the other historical restrictions laid on the Jews...

...Yes, there has been a pattern in our national life that has sought to protect an entrenched elite from the inroads of black laborers, Jewish immigrants and poor whites...

...But the racism of the affluent is different and, in its way, more sinister, for it involves a divide-and-conquer strategy that pits poor whites against poor blacks...

...I recently came across an example of that kind of twisted thinking...

...it was not that easy to change segregated schools and housing patterns in liberal strongholds in the north...

...But there is, in fact, a world of difference between quotas designed to exclude a group and reasonable, temporary numerical guidelines and targets that are meant to include a group previously excluded...

...It is a racism of the three-piece suit, and it happens in the inner sanctums of the Establishment...

...I am persuaded that general agreement on some principles of effective affirmative action is possible...

...Manifestly, the continuing, evil danger of racism is a powerful cement that binds us together...

...It was amazing to study the tapes of these encounters with white collar, blue collar, conservative and liberal Americans...

...So that is—in broad strokes—where we are and how we see ourselves...

...When black legislators seek support for social legislation, it is most often their Jewish peers that provide that support...

...he wrinkled his brow...

...Let those who so choose look at the comparative income figures of our two groups and conclude that we have nothing in common...

...There is also the divisive matter of affirmative action...

...And—just as clearly—they are not so bad as many people assume...

...And that brings me to the third and final binding cement for our continuing alliance—the shared vision of an America based on equality in an open, pluralistic, integrated society...

...It is the safe haven for a part of the Jewish people almost destroyed by the Nazis, and another part oppressed in Arab lands...

...And it is not an unusual attitude...

...For despite the apparent acceptance of Jews in our society, there is a current of anti-Semitism that runs strong and deep...

...I believe, further, that we must reject attempts to identify the activities and attitudes of some members of a group with the activities and attitudes of all members of that group...

...When a black candidate runs for political office, he usually can count on substantial support from the Jewish community, almost alone among white groups...

...Clearly, those relations are not as close as they once were...

...Here we have the kind of racism that characterized the Old South, where the lowest, meanest white person was assured that though he might have nothing else, he had higher status and standing than the most distinguished black...

...Still, there is an unfortunate tendency to misinterpret a natural sympathy for the underdog as evidence of anti-Semitism...

...The seeds of such a consensus may be found in the Supreme Court decision in the Weber case, where the following guidelines for voluntary affirmative action programs were set: They must mirror the purpose of the law by breaking down discriminatory patterns...

...Before that theme was chosen, a number of variants were tried out in focus groups around the nation...

...I begin with Israel, and I preface'what I have to say here with a clear statement that I see Israel as a democratic state that deserves America's total support...

...In some inner-city neighborhoods, black youth unemployment is over two thirds of the black youth population...

...We believe together, after all, in an America that lives up to its historic promises to the minorities and to the downtrodden, and we believe in such an America not only on the ground of self-interest, but out of love for this land, this land that can yet be more just, more fair, more free—if we will make it so...

...The PLO has been destructive of attempts to bring peace to the region, and it has been unspeakably self-serving in its desire to hang on to subsidies and to the trappings of power at the expense of securing a homeland for the Palestinians...

...If we are to forge alliances for the future, we must base our work together on mutual respect and focus on the conditions that impel the partners in an important alliance to work together...

...That's enought to make a pessimist out of the most determined optimist...

...This article is based on a speech he presented to the National Conference on African-American/Jewish-American Relations at Savannah State College, Savannah, Georgia, on May 12, 1983...

...That said, I must acknowledge that, along with large numbers of both American Jews and Israelis, I share serious misgivings about the Begin government's policies...

...Whatever our differences over issues, both our groups must live with the realization that anti-Semitism is the partner of anti-black racism...

...Thus, when someone says that blacks are anti-Semitic, and bases that conclusion on the statements or actions of some blacks, we are witness to racism of the ugliest sort...

...No Jew I know deludes himself that "it can't happen here," here being where public officials sometimes make statements about the undue influence of Jews, here where people sometimes talk openly of courting Arab oil producers by putting the screws on the Jews...

...When blacks are seen not as individuals with the same needs and wants and yearnings for dignity as whites, but in traditional negative stereotypes, how can we resist the perception that it is racism that explains the matter...

...Sometimes, in reflecting on the matter, I am reminded of the rabbi who, so the story goes, was present at the Creation...

...Black attitudes towards Israel are not the only special source of friction we encounter these days...

...They must not "unnecessarily trammel the rights of whites...

...Such generalization is no more to be credited than the imputation to all Jews of the failings of some Jews...

...I know, of course, that the Jewish community has its neo-conservatives and its Commentary group that aggressively fight against what most blacks are for...

...Where they cannot, we must learn to tolerate our differences of opinion, understanding that resistance to affirmative action is not by definition anti-black, any more than favoring affirmative action can plausibly be interpreted as anti-Jewish—or even as damaging to Jews...

...If they are not to win, then we must look directly at the issues that have most aggravated our relationship...

...Some tensions derive from the shock some people feel when they find that others don't quite live up to their expectations—the shock some blacks have felt in learning that some Jews react pretty much like other whites, the shock some Jews have felt in learning that their efforts on behalf of civil rights are not fully appreciated...

...I could, of course, continue this litany, but it must be clear to all that black disadvantage is pervasive, that it is continuing—in good times as well as bad—and that it is the inescapable backdrop for any serious discussion that bears on the needs and aspirations of the black community...

...REVITALIZING THE BLACK-JEWISH ALLIANCE The President of the National Urban League discusses the importance of maintaining and strengthening our ties JOHN JACOB Historically, black Americans and Jewish Americans have been in the vanguard of advancing change in our society—change directed toward making America more humane, more just and more equal...

...And even minorities that have by and large achieved economic success must still contend with discrimination...

...The PLO is essentially irrelevant to the Palestinian cause—as witness, for example, Mr...

...White support for affirmative action is distinguished by the number of Jews actively fighting side by side with blacks to gain its acceptance...

...And the America of our Constitution, where "We, the people" establish this nation to—among other things— "promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty...

...When we encounter people who define our reasonable expectations as threats, how can we avoid the conclusion that it is racism that prompts their response...

...And our continuing demand for equal rights alienated many Americans who were willing to stand by us when they thought of us as objects to be helped but who deserted the cause when it became apparent that we were simply not willing any longer to be passive objects of sympathy...

...Its safety is not a matter to be taken lightly, nor can sympathy with those perceived as Israel's enemies be easily dismissed...

...A second binding factor is the quest for a society that is fair...

...The path of inter-group relations in an America marked by racism and by ethnic tensions has never been easy...

...But whether my optimism can be justified by the facts is something else again...

...But one focus group, made up of working class women—all of them white—was especially instructive...

...Nor can we assign a permanent place to the inevitable frictions that occur as one group moves up the ladder only to find another climbing up behind it...

...Now some of that sympathy has been transferred to Palestinians seeking a homeland of their own...

...That two such different minorities as blacks and Jews should have retained so extraordinary a degree of continuing cooperation says a great deal more to us—or should— than the transient frictions do...

...And they must be temporary measures designed to eliminate racial imbalance...

...That "successor-group" effect accounts for some of the most publicized inter-community disputes, such as those involving school systems, ghetto businesses and such...

...The rabbi shook his head from side to side...

...Blacks are most likely, to be victims of crime while, at the same time, they are more likely than others to be arrested and to be given harsh sentences...

...But an Urban League survey of the black community found the opposite...

...Until we overcome unequal history, we cannot overcome unequal opportunity...

...It is a frontal attack on the moral and ethical teachings accepted by most Americans, taught by Jewish sages, fervently believed by most blacks...

...And part of the reason has to be that they more frequently find themselves in contact with the white world than do poor, ghetto-bound blacks...

...Many whites who are free of racial prejudice labor under the assumption that racism is a lower class phenomenon and that middle class, professional blacks encounter relatively few instances of racism...

...Right or wrong, there is nothing very exceptional in these views, which seem to me consistent with what most Americans—including most blacks and most Jews—believe...

...In fact, despite the publicity given the opposition to affirmative action by some Jewish organizations, we should be aware that other Jewish organizations have strongly supported affirmative action...

...Blacks in the middle class and in professional positions reported more, not less, racist encounters than their poorer brothers and sisters...

...where you find one, you inevitably find the other...

...The Klan and the Nazis are alive and well...

...Let me now turn, against this background, to the issue of black-Jewish relations...

...Because of this, I know that there is more that is right with our alliance than there is wrong with it...

...When blacks look to society to condemn racism, it is Jews who are in the forefront of the struggle against that evil...

...Both blacks and Jews are marked by an intra-group pluralism that makes generalizations difficult...

...We still confront, of course, the hard hat racism of the Archie Bunker, based on the irrational fears some working people have of losing the little they have...

...Throughout, there is an unbelievable animosity toward black people and toward efforts to equalize the conditions of blacks and whites...

...Their numbers may be small, but their sympathizers are many and their ideology is shared by many others who would never dare so to admit in public...

...And I would urge the Jewish community to understand it as Well, as a natural proclivity for the underdog, and not as something actively hostile to Israel, based on anti-Semitism...

...I remain an optimist about America, about the future it holds for the poorest among us and about the prospects it offers for blacks and for Jews...

...That sympathy for the underdog led blacks to almost unanimous support for Israel when it was seen as a small, struggling democracy in a sea of Arab enemies...

...But I acknowledge as well that there is a significant part of the black community that identifies with the Palestinian cause, and that, inevitably, is a source of continuing friction between our two communities...

...But though such thinking must surely be condemned, we cannot define the relationship between our two communities by the acts and the thoughts of their least representative elements...

...The typical black family earns less than the government itself says is necessary to maintain a minimum adequate standard of living...

...For the sake of these groups, and for America's sake, we must find the way to forge a new alliance...

...Other minorities suffer similar disadvantage...

...And it is that pattern that provides us today the basis for a continuing alliance in the future, based on the best of our past, the best of our ethical teachings, the best of our heritage...

...I believe those principles can and ought to be accepted by most of us...

...Some people would argue that it is implausible to suppose that two groups such as ours, with the histories of oppression we bear, and with the continuing precariousness we feel, can enter into a genuine alliance...

...The special nature of Israel, rising out of a Holocaust that was unprecedented in the history of the world, requires continuing support for its existence and for its safety in a sea of enemies...

...Arafat's rejection of the Reagan plan, a plan I accept and endorse...

...It was easy to condemn separate drinking fountains in Georgia...

...But while it is tasteless to play the game of comparing disadvantages, I firmly believe that the disproportionate disadvantage of blacks must be our starting point...

...But the more important pattern underlies the real America, the America of our Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...

...I know that other minorities have met with severe discrimination over the course of our history...

...Its theme is: "Everybody deserves a chance to make it on their own...

...The memory of anti-Jewish quotas is strong in the collective memory of the Jewish people...

...Well," said the Lord, "if you are optimistic, why do you look so upset and why are you frowning so...

...We share concern for the health of our alliance and must continue to do so...

...I feel that Israel's present government is tragically missing the chance to conclude a lasting peace, that instead of reaping a harvest of opportunities for peace and security, it is sowing the seeds for continued conflict...

...As Lyndon Johnson once said, "To be black in a white society is not to stand on level and equal ground...

...While the races may stand side by side, whites stand on history's mountain and blacks stand in history's hollow...

...But in recent years, relations between us have been somewhat strained...

...Instead, we insisted—and we insist—on being active agents of our own destiny...

...One such condition, for example, is the continuing need to fight against racism and anti-Semitism...

...No, this is not the racism of the hood and the white sheet, the racism of the Klan...

...That vision still has compelling meaning—not only for blacks and for Jews, but for other minorities in various stages of access to the mainstream, and for all Americans...

...And the rabbi replied: "Because I believe my optimism is unjustified...

...Some of that friction, for example, boils down to the sad fact that some blacks suffer from the disease of anti-Semitism and some Jews suffer from the disease of racism...

...If we have learned anything from Reaganism, it is that a policy of punishing the poor and rewarding the rich is unfair...

...Stirring language regarding our shared history or even our shared concerns is not enough...

...It is sad that two peoples who have known the disastrous consequences to which such thinking leads can nonetheless include individuals who think this way...

...I fully understand Jewish sensitivity to Israel...

...And the reason is that we cannot separate racism and color consciousness from the black condition...

...Two out of five black children are growing up in families that are poor...

...Confronted as we are by policies that take food from the hungry, education from the young and health care from the elderly, all Americans should— and our two groups must—unite behind the vision of a society that is humane, that is caring, that allows all of us to enjoy equal opportunity...

...Nor can I ignore the fact that only blacks came to the United States against their will, came not to pursue a dream of freedom but to serve others as slaves...

...Nor should we underestimate the strength of racism that must bind blacks and Jews together in common cause...

...While I, and most blacks, do not share that viewpoint, we understand it...

...And I know, finally, that even without a past so indelibly marked by slavery and oppression, by prejudice and discrimination, there remains the intractable fact of our present economic condition, our present racial isolation, our present secondary status...

...But I say that given the record, a record that defies the odds and defies the skeptics, and given the need, a need that is urgent for the sake of all of us, we cannot permit the skeptics to win the day...

...So it is not hard to understand Jewish senstivities regarding an issue—affirmative action—that can be confused with quotas...

...But the recessions of the 1970s destroyed many of our economic gains...

...I know about the no irish need apply signs and the no jews allowed signs...

...The civil rights victories of the 1960s and the Great Society programs helped to mitigate many of the evils afflicting the black community...

...Much of the friction between blacks and Jews can be traced to common misperceptions, can be seen as reflecting transitory differences rather than sharp and permanent divisions...