WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– In response to the release of the Movement for Black Lives Policy Platform, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and ARZA: The Association of Reform Zionists of America:
“The Reform Jewish Movement is deeply committed to addressing the structural racism that exists in the United States and to doing so in partnership with activists and communities of color – including those who proudly identify as Reform Jews. While we commend many aspects of the recently released Movement for Black Lives platform that effectively target structural racism, as deeply committed Zionists we condemn in the strongest possible terms the platform’s language on Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
As a Movement, we have consistently expressed our ongoing commitment to Israel’s safety and security, our profound concern for the suffering of the Palestinian people and our support for a two-state solution that would bring about peace and justice for both peoples.
The Movement for Black Lives platform’s claim that U.S. support for Israel makes it “complicit in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people” and labeling of Israel as “an apartheid state” are offensive and odious. In calling for divestment from Israel, the platform ultimately does little to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This language also wrongly and harmfully conflates the urgent need to address the systemic racism faced by people of color in the United States with another challenging and related but different set of moral and political questions within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We recognize that the Movement for Black Lives is working to address deeply rooted societal challenges. As they do so, we urge them to reject the platform’s characterizations of and positions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We stand ready to work in relationship to achieve shared goals of a racially just society, nation and world.
Anti-Israel rhetoric like that found in the Movement for Black Lives policy platform is especially troubling because it falsely suggests American Jews – both of color and white – must choose between their commitment to combatting racism in the United States and their Zionism. We reject wholeheartedly the notion that effective anti-racism work can only be done by denouncing and excoriating Israel. Rather, as progressive Zionists committed to the future of a Jewish and democratic State of Israel, we see it as our fundamental responsibility to stand up in the face of injustice and fight against the evils of racism, extremism and intolerance wherever they exist.
The Reform Movement is committed to advancing civil rights and racial justice, including ensuring that black lives matter in all aspects of our society, from the criminal justice system to the voting booth and beyond. We will continue to work in relationship across lines of race, faith and class to dismantle structural racism and build a more just and equitable society.”
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The American Jewish Committee (AJC) issued the following statement:
New York — AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, strongly condemns the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views expressed in the platform issued this week by the Movement for Black Lives (MBL).
In doing so, MBL draws a false link to, and, in our view, disserves the worthy cause of, addressing racial disparities in the nation’s criminal justice system.
AJC has a proud, century-long history of championing civil rights in our country. A great deal has been achieved in our nation, even as more work awaits.
But the need to deal with the current, pressing issues is undermined by those activists seeking to hijack the movement and advocate for a platform that evinces contempt and bigotry toward Jews.
Moreover, it is a platform that describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms sharply at odds with reality, and which draws totally misleading parallels between that conflict and the situation in the United States.
In asserting that U.S. support for Israel makes it “complicit in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people,” and labeling Israel as “an apartheid state,” the MBL libels Israel, while diluting the moral seriousness of those terms.
Further, in linking the platform to the campaign for boycott of and divestment from Israel, MBL identifies itself with a cause that, beyond undermining the effort to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians, is fundamentally grounded in denial of the very legitimacy of the Jewish state.
The platform’s conflation of the need to address racial disparities in law enforcement with the moral and political challenges presented by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict confuses a civil rights cause with the struggle between two peoples with national aspirations, a conflict that can only be resolved by negotiation and mutual recognition between the parties.
For more than a century, the American Black and Jewish communities have worked in partnership, and at often at great risk, to seek justice and equality. Sadly, the MBL platform, as it deals with Jews and Israel, is profoundly at odds with that history of shared purpose and mutually reinforcing solidarity. We look forward to moving beyond it, and to continued work with our committed partners in the African-American community.
NEW YORK – Bend the Arc CEO Stosh Cotler issued the following statement today in response to the release of the Movement for Black Lives policy platform:
“Bend the Arc is dedicated to pursuing a comprehensive racial justice agenda to end the institutional racism, exploitation, and discrimination that devalues Black lives. Because as Jews we are taught to see the spark of the divine in all human beings, racism and callous disregard for Black lives is an affront to our deepest values. We have a moral responsibility to act, and Bend the Arc is proud to engage both Jews of color and white Jews in the fight against the many forms of institutionalized racism in American society today, including mass incarceration, racialized income inequality, and voting discrimination, among others.
“The Movement for Black Lives has done extraordinary and powerful work raising consciousness about the harms inflicted on Black communities in the United States, and our collective need to transform the systems that perpetuate this violence. It is our belief that our country will be made more whole, more inclusive, and more just because of this courageous racial justice movement.
“From its founding, Bend the Arc has focused its vision and advocacy on domestic social justice issues only, taking no positions on international issues, including war, militarism and the Middle East. We know some within the Jewish community, including members of our own organization, are expressing deep pain and outrage over some of the language and policy solutions proposed in some elements within the international section of the platform released this week by the Movement for Black Lives. We also acknowledge the pain and outrage felt by some members of the Movement for Black Lives that prompted the inclusion of this language in the first place. It is with sincere anguish that Bend the Arc holds these two realities simultaneously. We see this perceived collision of values as related to the decades of growing distance between the Jewish community and communities of color, and the invisibilization of Jews of Color within the Jewish community and progressive movement. Authentic relationship building and meaningful coalition work is the way our communities will find repair with one another, over time.
“Bend the Arc is invested in building relationships with People of Color and Jews of Color. We do this through our domestic racial justice campaigns, supporting the leadership of Jews of Color and working within diverse ecosystems. It is our greatest hope that our communities will find new ways to share our histories of trauma, our experiences of racism and/or anti-Semitism, and continue to find common cause in eradicating white supremacy.
“In this volatile moment, our north star continues to be our commitment to eradicating racism and white supremacy in the United States. We recognize that, at times, advocates may disagree on specific policy issues. While profoundly challenging, these differences should not distract from the broad agreement that exists within the progressive and Jewish community on the need for a bold racial justice agenda. We look forward to continuing to advance racial justice and affirm the value of Black lives.”