Dispatch #3: Addressing Antisemitism and Remembering Tulsa
Hello! Welcome to the third dispatch of the Faith & Politics Project.
Thank you for being here. Below you’ll find a team member’s thoughts on increased antisemitism in the U.S., reporting on the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, and new job postings.
If you have any musings, commentary, or questions you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.
Antisemitism in Context:
It's been a difficult week for the Jews. In light of the recent uptick in antisemitic attacks in the U.S., my mom asked me last night -- as she did last year after a series of stabbings in New York City, and in 2018 after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting -- where in the world it was safe to be Jewish, and if we should pack our bags. (Panama, she hears, is beautiful this time of year).
This month also marks a year since the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and 100 years since the Tulsa massacre on Black Wall Street. Attacks on Asian-Americans are also on the rise. Given this, I'm conflicted about asking for attention to the rise of antisemitism. Religion, after all, is something I don't have to wear on my sleeve if I don't want to, a privilege not afforded to my friends of color.
Regardless of whether or not I would be justified in calling for increased attention to antisemitism, the political world seems to be paying attention. The White House has released remarks condemning antisemitic attacks in the strongest possible terms, as has Harvard University and most of my other listservs. I know these statements are supposed to make me feel safe and supported, and I'm definitely grateful that my institutions and communities want to have my back. It's bittersweet, though, when those same institutions don't speak as forcefully on behalf of Black and brown communities, especially this month, especially now.
It makes those supportive remarks feel empty. If my university only supports me but not my classmates of color, are they really supporting us? If my synagogue stands up for me but not my neighbors of color, are we really safer? Addressing antisemitism but not addressing racism also does little good to help my friends who inhabit both Jewish and Black identities.
I'm conflicted because the U.S. has a long way to go in combatting antisemitism, and I want to stand up for my Jewish community (if I am not for myself, who will be for me?) But, it feels vacuous at best and disingenuous at worst to combat antisemitism without speaking out against all forms of oppression (if I am only for myself, who am I?) Balancing these tensions isn’t easy, but the world can't wait for us to figure it out. As Jews we need to show up for marginalized communities while also speaking out against antisemitism. We need to figure out how to walk and chew gum. Our safety in solidarity depends on it. (If not now, when?)
This Week in the News: One Year Since George Floyd and Remembering Tulsa
A year after the murder of George Floyd, what has changed? by Michael J. O’Loughlin and Bryan N. Massingale, America
“We need to reach a point in the Catholic Church, and say forthrightly, that if you are unwilling or unable to address your own unconscious racial formation, and your unconscious racial malformation in our society, then you do not have a vocation of service in the church of Jesus Christ.”
One year after George Floyd’s murder, faith leaders continue the call for racial reckoning by RNS staff, Religion News Service
“Since the predominantly Black but diverse group of clergy completed the certificate program last summer, they have been acting on lessons they learned: An African Methodist Episcopal Zion pastor is leading his Washington church to partner with a predominantly white Catholic church to focus on reconciliation and strategize to address local issues. A Baptist minister in Washington has developed a conduct code for her community and preaches more regularly about social justice. Participants from Virginia are seeking to create a local civilian oversight board and other means to investigate law enforcement violence.”
The Tulsa massacre wasn’t a ‘race riot’ — it was a pogrom by Joshua Shanes, Forward
“These events are often called race riots, but this is a misnomer that suggests some sort of “West Side Story” battle of rival ethnic gangs. They were pogroms. They were violent attacks by mobs of the majority race/ethnicity, who - secure in the support or acquiescence of the state – attacked Black communities with impunity: murdering, raping and destroying their property and homes.”
Religious Profile Spotlight: Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
For Representative Rashida Tlaib, one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, religion and politics have always been intertwined. From her first moments in office she publicly embraced her Muslim identity, choosing to be sworn in with Thomas Jefferson’s Quran while wearing a traditional Palestinian thobe. Tlaib cites her religious upbringing as integral to her sense of community and passion for progressive politics. When asked about this relationship, she responded,
“There’s an Islamic saying: ‘After you take care of your family at home, you take care of your neighborhood’... What brings me close to faith is community organizing.”
Rep. Tlaib also attributes her conception of justice to her experiences visiting family in Palestine. The over policing and limited access to healthcare and education she witnessed when visiting her grandparents in Beit Ur al-Fauqa directly informs her stances on similar issues in the United States. She thanks Allah (for which Tlaib uses she/her pronouns) for the growing number of progressive voices, but recognizes the pervasive injustices in the US and abroad.
For Tlaib, the fight for progressive values is “embedded in Islam.”
Jobs Bulletin
Business Manager - JustFaith Ministries
Gap Year Resident Advisor & Mentor - Tivnu
Program Associate - American Jewish World Service
San Diego Program Director - AVODAH
Organizer, Immigrant Coalition - Faith in Indiana
Organizer, Black Church Coalition - Faith in Indiana
Black Health Advocacy Organizer - Faith in Action (Missouri)
Bail Fund Organizer - Faith in Action (Texas)
Deputy Executive Director - CAIR Washington
The Abrahamic House Fellow - Abrahamic House
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