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Resilient Alliances: A Blueprint for Black-Jewish Collaboration in 2025 and Beyond

American Jewish Congress (AJC) Rabbi Joachim Prinz and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) leader Martin Luther King Jr. — as well as other civil rights leaders, including a young John Lewis — meeting with US President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office of the White House following the civil rights march on Washington DC, on Aug. 28, 1963. Photo: Library of Congress via Reuters Connect.

History shows that when two resilient communities join forces, they can achieve transformative change. The Black and Jewish communities have long been examples of this, often standing together in the face of oppression, from the Civil Rights Movement to combating prejudice in all its forms. Today, both communities face distinct yet intersecting challenges: rising antisemitism, systemic racism, and an increasingly polarized society.

In 2025, the potential for a renewed Black-Jewish alliance offers hope not just for these two communities but for a society seeking unity in a fractured world. To move forward, however, requires fresh thinking, bold actions, and a clear commitment to understanding one another.

A Shared History of Resilience

Resilience is central to both communities, shaped by their histories of survival and triumph over injustice. Black Americans have built strength through their rich traditions, creating art, music, and activism that inspire hope and drive change. Jewish Americans, similarly, have drawn resilience from tight-knit communities, education, and the ability to rebuild in the face of persecution.

During the Civil Rights Movement, these shared values fostered a partnership rooted in mutual recognition of injustice. Figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel embodied this solidarity, showing what was possible when two communities worked together for justice.

Yet the world has changed since those days, and the challenges of 2025 require new strategies that acknowledge history while addressing modern complexities. 

The Need for Honest Conversations

Rebuilding this alliance begins with honest conversations about the factors that have caused divisions. Tensions surrounding issues like Israel, antisemitism in public discourse, and racism have sometimes strained relationships between the two communities. These challenges demand empathy, not avoidance.

Leaders from both communities must listen to one another with openness, recognizing that while their experiences differ, their goals for justice often align. Such dialogue should be rooted in respect and a shared commitment to confronting hate in all its forms.

Disagreements are inevitable, but they don’t have to divide. By addressing sensitive topics directly, the partnership can grow stronger, grounded in mutual understanding.

Actionable Paths to Collaboration

To move beyond symbolism, Black and Jewish communities must translate solidarity into action. Here are three innovative ways to collaborate in 2025:

  1. Education as Empowerment

Both communities have experienced erasure and misrepresentation in education. Collaborative programs can ensure that schools teach accurate histories of both Black and Jewish struggles, emphasizing moments of solidarity. Joint curricula could feature stories from the Civil Rights Movement, Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, and modern examples of allyship.

Beyond classrooms, community workshops and digital archives could preserve and share these stories. For example, an interactive online platform could highlight oral histories from Black and Jewish voices, showcasing resilience and the impact of working together.

  1. Cultural Collaborations

Art and storytelling have always been powerful tools for change. Black and Jewish creators can collaborate on projects that explore shared themes of justice, resilience, and identity. Films, music festivals, and public art installations could celebrate the unique contributions of both communities while fostering deeper connections.

Imagine a documentary that parallels the Civil Rights Movement with Jewish advocacy for Soviet Jewry or a music festival combining gospel, hip-hop, and Jewish folk traditions. These initiatives can inspire broader audiences while reinforcing the shared humanity of the two groups.

  1. Advocacy Against Hate

Both communities face rising hate crimes and online harassment. Advocacy coalitions could work together to push for stronger hate crime laws, hold tech companies accountable for combating online hate, and educate the public about the dangers of discrimination.

A joint task force could develop tools to identify and counter hate speech online, providing resources for users to challenge prejudice. By combining their influence, Black and Jewish leaders could drive systemic change, creating safer spaces both online and offline.

A Partnership for the Future

The challenges of 2025 demand a partnership that is proactive, not reactive. This renewed alliance must be built on trust, driven by shared values, and focused on practical outcomes. It must go beyond addressing immediate crises to create a lasting framework for collaboration.

True partnership doesn’t require uniformity; it requires respect. The Black-Jewish alliance of the Civil Rights era was powerful, but its success relied heavily on individual relationships. Today, the opportunity exists to create something more systemic and enduring—an alliance that involves grassroots organizers, educators, artists, and everyday people.

In a world that often feels divided, a renewed Black-Jewish partnership offers hope. By standing together, these communities can challenge hate, amplify their shared resilience, and inspire broader movements for justice and equality.

This is not just a call to action for the Black and Jewish communities but for anyone who believes in the power of unity to drive change. By collaborating in new and meaningful ways, these two resilient groups can lead the way in transforming adversity into progress — not just for themselves, but for society as a whole.

Steven Rosenberg is the Principal of the Team GSD and the author of the book, Make Bold Things Happen: Inspirational Stories From Sports, Business And Life

The post Resilient Alliances: A Blueprint for Black-Jewish Collaboration in 2025 and Beyond first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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New York City Jews Targeted for Most Hate Crimes in March, NYPD Stats Show

Orthodox Jewish man waiting for the train in the New York City subway. Photo: Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect.

Jews in New York City were victims of more hate crimes in March than any other group even as crime across the Five Boroughs fell to “historic” lows, according to statistics issued by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday.

39 hate crimes targeted Jews last month, the Algemeiner reviewed data shows, outstripping the combined total of all other groups combined — 28 — and constituting 58 percent of all hate crimes reported to authorities. So far, there have born 85 antisemitic hate crimes in New York City through the first three months of 2025, with the month of February seeing a 100 percent increase in them over the previous year and March seeing no improvement at all.

The data continues a trend that has persisted for several years and concurred with a rise in antisemitic incidents across the US.

Jews represented a disproportionate share of hate crimes perpetrated in New York City in 2024 as well. Of the 641 total hate crimes tallied by the NYPD that year, Jews were victims of 345, which, in addition to being a 7 percent increase over the previous year, amounted to 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city.

As The Algemeiner has previously reported, antisemitic hate crimes have posed a major threat to the quality of life of New York City’s Orthodox Jewish community, which was the target in many of the incidents. In just eight days between the end of October and the beginning of November, three Hasidim, including children, were brutally assaulted in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. In one instance, an Orthodox man was accosted by two assailants, one masked, who “chased and beat him” after he refused to surrender his cellphone in compliance with what appeared to have been an attempted robbery.

In another incident, an African American male smacked a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was commuting to school on his bike in the heavily Jewish neighborhood. Less than a week earlier, an assailant slashed a visibly Jewish man in the face as he was walking in Brooklyn. Days after the week-long antisemitic hate crime spree, three men attempted to rob a Hasidic man after stalking him through the Crown Heights neighborhood.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post New York City Jews Targeted for Most Hate Crimes in March, NYPD Stats Show first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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NYC ‘Dyke March’ Bans Zionists From Participating in Annual Demonstration

(Source: Reuters)

(Source: Reuters)

NYC Dyke March, a public demonstration held by members of the lesbian community in New York City, has banned self-proclaimed “Zionists” from its annual event, citing a desire to stand against the so-called “genocide” occuring in Gaza. 

The group revealed in a statement that their decision to ban Israel supporters from their ranks came after multiple members dropped out of the organization due to differences in “political beliefs and values.” After engaging in discussions with frustrated members, the NYC Dyke March committee agreed to adopt “an explicitly anti-Zionist position.” The organization claims that it will “strengthen our commitment” to fighting against Israel and advocating on behalf of Palestinians. 

Last year, the NYC Dyke March previously came under scrutiny after organizers settled on “genocide” as the theme of its 2024 event. In a statement, decrying “ethnic cleansing, violence, and dehumanization,” the organization compared the ongoing war in Gaza, to the mass slaughters occurring in Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Sudan. 

The organization plans on recycling the same theme for this year’s march, titling it “Dykes Against Genocide.” The group released a statement clarifying that Jews are allowed to attend and condemned the Oct. 7 slaughters as a “senseless loss of life.” After an apparent uproar from its members, the organization deleted the post and wrote that the group “unapologetically stands in support of Palestinian liberation.” In addition, the group affirmed that “anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and any language we put out which is not clearly opposed to a Zionist, imperialist agenda is harmful to us all.”

In the 17 months following the Hamas-led massacre of roughly 1200 people throughout Israel, the NYC Dyke March has produced numerous statements lambasting Israel and declaring “solidarity” with Palestinians amid their so-called “ongoing genocide.” The organization also accused Israel of engaging in supposed “pinkwashing” and “manipulative use of Jewish and queer identities,” with the aim of justifying its war efforts in Gaza. 

Israel offers an expansive set of rights for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transngender (LGBT) community, including recognition of same-sex marriages. Every year in June, Tel Aviv holds one of the largest LGBT Pride celebrations in the world. Meanwhile, members of the LGBT community are routinely imprisoned or murdered in other parts of the Middle East, including the Palestinian territories. 

The NYC Dyke March’s announcement was met with widespread condemnation. 

“You cannot exclude the majority of Jews and call yourself inclusive,” said the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in a post on X/Twitter, adding that the group “essentially equates Zionism with racism” in their announcement. 

The post NYC ‘Dyke March’ Bans Zionists From Participating in Annual Demonstration first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Trump Administration Planning $510 Million Cut to Brown University Budget, Report Says

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists onboard Air Force One en route to Miami, Florida, U.S., April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura

The Trump administration reportedly plans to terminate $510 million worth of federal contracts and grants awarded to Brown University, according to media reports.

Brown University’s failure to mount a satisfactory response to the campus antisemitism crisis, as well as its embrace of the diversity, equity, and, inclusion (DEI) movement — perceived by many across the political spectrum as an assault on merit-based upward mobility and causing incidents of anti-White and anti-Asian discrimination — prompted the alleged pending action by the federal government, according to the right-leaning outlet The Daily Caller.

The announcement comes as Brown scrambles to cover a $46 million budget shortfall and other universities across the country have faced similar funding cuts.

Brown University officials, however, denied that the university had received any directives from the Trump Administration.

“We have no information to substantiate these rumors,” Brown University provost Francis Doyle issued a statement. “We are closely monitoring notifications related to grants, but have nothing more we can share as of now.”

Meanwhile, Brown’s Jewish community rushed to the university’s defense, issuing a joint statement with the Brown Corporation which said that the campus is “peaceful and supportive campus for its Jewish community.”

The letter, signed by members of the local Hillel International chapter and Chabad on College Hill, continued: “Brown University is a place where Jewish life not only exists but thrives. While there is more work to be done, Brown, through the dedicated efforts of its administration, leadership, and resilient spirit of its Jewish community, continues to uphold the principles of inclusion, tolerance, and intellectual freedom that have been central to its identity since 1764.”

Brown Divest Coalition — an anti-Zionist group which recently saw its campaign for the university to adopt the boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel defeated by the Brown Corporation — weighed in too, denouncing the reported cut as “a means of suppressing all forms of popular dissent to the renewed violence of the US war machine abroad.” US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) also criticized the move, accusing the administration “of a broader pattern of behavior…that will negatively impact communities across the country and lead to layoffs, restrict research, and more.”

As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the Trump administration is following through on its threats to inflict potentially catastrophic financial injuries on colleges and universities deemed as soft on antisemitism or excessively “woke.” The past six weeks has seen the policy imposed on elite universities including Harvard and Columbia, rattling a higher education establishment that has for better and worse operated for decades with little interference from the federal government even as it polarized the public and contributed to a growing sense that elites are contemptuous of Americans who live outside of their cultural enclaves.

In March, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal contracts and grants for Columbia University, a measure that secured the school’s acceding to a slew of demands the administration put forth as preconditions for restoring the money. Later, the Trump administration disclosed its reviewing $9 billion worth of federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard University, jeopardizing a substantial source of the school’s income over its alleged failure to quell antisemitic and pro-Hamas activity on campus following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. Princeton University saw $210 million of its federal grants and funding suspended too, prompting its president, Christopher Eisgruber to say the institution is “committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.”

Additionally,  60 universities are being investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over their handling of campus antisemitism, a project that will serve as an early test of the administration’s ability to perform the essential functions of the agency after downsizing its workforce to increase its efficiency.

One of those universities, Northwestern University, on Monday touted its progress in addressing campus antisemitism, noting that it has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, a reference tool which aids officials in determining what constitutes antisemitism, and begun holding “mandatory antisemitism training” sessions which “all students, faculty, and staff” must attend.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post Trump Administration Planning $510 Million Cut to Brown University Budget, Report Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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