From Shared Pasts to Shared Futures: Black-Jewish Relations in Context

The William Paterson University Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies presents a virtual event in connection with International Holocaust Remembrance Day: "From Shared Pasts to Shared Futures: Black-Jewish Relations in Context"

During the height of the Civil Rights movement, Black and Jewish Americans came together as fellow minorities with a shared history of slavery and persecution and a profound concern over inequality and injustice. While the past cooperative and collaborative relationships between these two groups persist, unfortunately they are also often marred by intra-communal tensions -- such as most recently the high-profile cases of Ye and Kyrie Irving. This talk will shed light on the past, present and future of Black-Jewish relations in this country -- and what we miss out on when we frame this topic this way.

Register here.

Tema Smith is a diversity advocate, writer, educator, and Jewish community builder. She currently serves as the Director of Jewish Outreach & Partnerships at ADL and was previously the Director of Professional Development at 18Doors, before which she spent seven years as a synagogue professional, most recently as Director of Community Engagement at Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto’s oldest synagogue. A recipient of the 2022 JPro Young Professionals Award, Tema has written, spoken and trained frequently on racial equity, diversity and antisemitism for synagogues, Jewish organizations, and community groups across North America, and in her capacity as a contributing columnist at the Forward. Tema serves on the Board of Trustees for the Union for Reform Judaism and was recently elected to the board of Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

This event is sponsored by generous grants from the Marjorie and Selwyn Jacobs Family Fund and the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education.