1/16/2017 0 Comments Blog #2In reading Chapter 8: A Tangled Web: Black-Jewish Relations in the Twentieth-Century South of Jewish Roots in Southern Soil, again, I thought of my own experiences as a Jew in comparison to those of my ancestors in the American south. The Jews and African Americans of the colonial and twentieth-century south have a parallel history to some extent. What struck me most was that the two minority groups were in opposition for such a long time, not only for the sake of protecting themselves, but because there was genuine hostility between them. Not only was each group left to vie for the approval of the white majority in charge, but as a result, they worked against one another.
As a seventh grader, I was taken on a civil rights trip across the south with my middle school class. During our stay in Georgia, we went to the site of the Leo Frank memorial. I remember the purpose of the trip was to give the class a preview of the theme for 8th grade: civil rights. Social justice was a core value of the school, and the trip paired well that platform. I remember hearing the chilling story of Leo Frank, but the racial controversy that resulted was omitted. When I read about it in Jewish Roots in Southern Soil, I was surprised to see a story that painted a picture of more conflict between Jews and African Americans. I felt naïve and misinformed. Again, in a state where I’ve always felt comfortable, especially with my Jewish identity, so many people of my faith were subjected to silence and mistreatment. And they were therefore forced to forfeit their right to play a part in the social justice of the Civil Rights movement. While continuing on in the chapter, I began drawing more comparisons between myself and the period of Jews and African Americans discussed. Though Clive Webb uses the terminology “culturally alien” (197) in reference to the southern Jews of the desegregation movement, this phrasing still feels relevant to the Jews and African Americans of today’s world. Finally, reading this chapter on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has layered this reading with even more meaning and impact.
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