Celebrating our common bonds

Jews and Blacks in America

By Johnny Parker

Shalom Chaverim!

February is Black History Month in the United States of America.

I am both Black and Jewish. I’m Black because of the label placed on People of Color during the slave trade and subsequent Jim Crow laws. I’m Jewish because I chose to belong to a faith that believes in the oneness of G-d.

Jews and People of Color have historically walked hand-in-hand to fight inequality and discrimination in America. The struggle continues to this day. Jews are People of Color, as are Black people, especially in America. Many of our Jewish brothers and sisters have found themselves humiliated by hate and bigotry from our mainstream society.

I was raised in a little town about 40 minutes north of New Orleans, La., called Covington. There, I attended Covington Rosenwald Elementary School. My parents attended Covington Rosenwald as well, from elementary school through high school. The reason I’m sharing this point is that a Jewish philanthropist named Julius Rosenwald, with assistance from the Sears and Roebuck proprietors, provided funding for scores of schools in the South for elementary and high school education. Many black Southerners were educated because of the funding provided by our Jewish brothers. Jews have always cared about the welfare and civil rights of African Americans and for all people who were marginalized by the effects of bigotry and discrimination in America. I am a direct beneficiary of Julius Rosenwald’s assistance.

I have been an observant Jew for nearly three decades, and I have been a member and advocate for the FJMC International for most of that time. I have frequented many synagogues – Reform, Conservative and Orthodox, in America and abroad – and have never felt that I did not belong or feel welcomed.

FJMC International has shown in its DEI initiatives that we are all made in the image of the Holy One, Blessed be He. Our executive board has made a concerted effort to ensure diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity initiatives are at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. Most recently, at the past FJMC Convention in Chicago, our d’var Torah was given by Rabbi Capers Funnye, chief rabbi of the International Board of Rabbis. What a powerful example of inclusion. We have also been very instrumental in our efforts to assist our Jewish brothers and sisters of the Abayudaya community in Uganda. This is our mission: to reach out to our brothers wherever they are, and whomever they are.

I’m proud to be a part of FJMC International as a Jew of Color, and a member of the broader Am Israel. We should all continue to recognize that Jews have always had different ethnicities within our family structures throughout history and throughout the world.

Jews and People of Color, especially Black Americans of African descent, have and will continue to have a common bond, seeking acceptance and equality for all people. After all, we are all made in the image of the Holy One! Blessed be He.

B’Shalom!

Johnny Parker is executive vice president of the Seaboard Region.