One humanity, equal dignity

The UN and FJMC Against Racial Discrimination

By Dr. Steven Mandel

A Black Jewish man arrives at his synagogue for Shabbat service, and is stopped by security volunteer, who asks: “Are you here for services?” When he says yes, the volunteer asks for identification, while other congregants enter without being questioned.

An interracial couple arrived at a Bar Mitzvah celebration. The Yemenite husband dropped off his wife at the synagogue entrance, and was told by the valet attendant to move his car to the parking lot. The assumption was that he was a driver or valet, rather than a guest attending the bar mitzvah.

A Black Jewish man, and a member of the FJMC, walks into a clothing store. The storekeeper immediately follows him from aisle to aisle, watching him closely, while ignoring other customers. The Jewish man realizes he being treated unjustly because of the color of his skin.

As FJMC members, we have a Jewish responsibility to recognize injustice and stand with those who experience it. For the FJMC, this is deeply rooted in the Jewish principle “Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof”—”Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue.”

The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which just met last month in Geneva, monitors efforts by countries to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination around the world, in accordance with an international human rights treaty.

According to the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights’ website, “racial discrimination remains a barrier to the full realization of human rights,” as “exclusions and restrictions based on race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin continue to cause conflict, suffering and loss of life.” CERD’s mission, the website says, is to fight “the injustice of racial discrimination, and the dangers it represents.”

The U.N. and FJMC share a common mission: to promote human dignity, equality, respect and a more and just inclusive world. As FJMC members, we can bring these values from the U.N. to our communities – standing against racial discrimination and turning our shared principles into action.

The Torah portion Shoftim reminds us that justice requires action, fairness and rejection of favoritism. And we are commanded to pursue justice. For us as Jewish men, that means it is not someone else’s responsibility, but our own. Inclusion begins with us – in our synagogues, in our men’s clubs, and in the way we welcome every person who walks through our doors.

To do so, we need to remember the foundation of B’tzelem Elohim, that every person is created in the image of G-d. Make Jews of Color welcome. Train members to recognize microaggression and discrimination. Recognize and support the person who experiences discrimination and report it when it appears. And use our Inclusion Resource Guidebook.

And while we as Jews are not a race, antisemitism can still be a form of racial and ethnic discrimination when Jews are targeted because of their perceived ancestry or ethnic identity.

Dr. Steven Mandel is vice president of outreach and engagement for the New York Metro Region and FJMC’s NGO representative to the United Nations.