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"When I talk generally with white Jews about why Jews are involved in social justice or civil rights or racial equality, they'll talk about this shared history of oppression.
And the problem is that American Jewish history and African-American history are 180 degrees opposite on that question. One of my African-American colleagues, he said, "If I ever go to a Seder and the Jews say that they know what it's like because they too were once slaves in Egypt," he's gonna punch 'em.
Because if Jews have to go back to ancient Egypt to get the slavery metaphor, then they've kind of missed that American Jewish history is a story of rapid social ascent, and African-American history is the legacy of slavery. That argument is insulting, and it's very elementary.
And, of course, I found that the people actually involved in the movement in the 50s, they knew that. And they were quite clear that they were not buying into that.
What's the second argument that people draw on?
The second argument is a sociological one, which is to say Jews experience social marginalization; blacks experience social marginalization. Since Jews understand what it is to be on the margins, they help blacks. The problem with that is that the civil rights movement didn't happen 'til the 1950s. In the 1950s, Jews were already in the mainstream. So if marginalization was the motive, then the movement should have started 50 years earlier.
Eric Goldstein at Emory, in his book, The Price of Whiteness, basically points out that Jews could only cross the racial line after they achieved whiteness, when they were no longer marginal. So that kind of undermines the sociology argument."
But I suppose we digress and again blur this line between who are Jewish people and what is religion...
Speaking about "punching em," I am tempted whenever anyone questions the motives of "decent, fair-minded, courageous supporters of civil rights" regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
I admire all people who give their time, effort, money, and passion towards social justice, equality, criminal justice, removing hunger, heck, so many sad issues that need solution and amelioration. I know several people in my Town who dropped everything they were doing and drove to Selma to march for civil rights. These same people founded a program to bring inner city black students to finish their high school in the town's public school system. They found a house and converted it to a dorm, with a dorm parent. When the vote was brought up at Town Meeting it passed unanimously. Did they face racist resistance? Absolutely. But they persevered. it is is thriving organization to this day. Granted they took the blueprint that was a government supported program to get kids into Prep schools that they cannot afford to go to. But it took commitment and passion. Most , if not all, of these people are attached to religious institutions.
Religious institutions have their weakness, they are run by human beings who have weaknesses after all. But the good they do is irrefutable and necessary. Every time I am holding a sign at our town intersection for BLM, Abortion Rights, or anti-war, I see groups from their church. There are several churches in my town of 30K, and they are all activist.
I admire all people who give their time, effort, money, and passion towards social justice, equality, criminal justice, removing hunger, heck, so many sad issues that need solution and amelioration. I know several people in my Town who dropped everything they were doing and drove to Selma to march for civil rights. These same people founded a program to bring inner city black students to finish their high school in the town's public school system. They found a house and converted it to a dorm, with a dorm parent. When the vote was brought up at Town Meeting it passed unanimously. Did they face racist resistance? Absolutely. But they persevered. it is is thriving organization to this day. Granted they took the blueprint that was a government supported program to get kids into Prep schools that they cannot afford to go to. But it took commitment and passion. Most , if not all, of these people are attached to religious institutions.
Religious institutions have their weakness, they are run by human beings who have weaknesses after all. But the good they do is irrefutable and necessary. Every time I am holding a sign at our town intersection for BLM, Abortion Rights, or anti-war, I see groups from their church. There are several churches in my town of 30K, and they are all activist.
I admire all people who give their time, effort, money, and passion towards social justice, equality, criminal justice, removing hunger, heck, so many sad issues that need solution and amelioration. I know several people in my Town who dropped everything they were doing and drove to Selma to march for civil rights. These same people founded a program to bring inner city black students to finish their high school in the town's public school system. They found a house and converted it to a dorm, with a dorm parent. When the vote was brought up at Town Meeting it passed unanimously. Did they face racist resistance? Absolutely. But they persevered. it is is thriving organization to this day. Granted they took the blueprint that was a government supported program to get kids into Prep schools that they cannot afford to go to. But it took commitment and passion. Most , if not all, of these people are attached to religious institutions.
Religious institutions have their weakness, they are run by human beings who have weaknesses after all. But the good they do is irrefutable and necessary. Every time I am holding a sign at our town intersection for BLM, Abortion Rights, or anti-war, I see groups from their church. There are several churches in my town of 30K, and they are all activist.
The problem I have with many social warriors is that they don't understand how wrong they are sometimes. They take a noble cause and then weaponize it for revenge. The white house raid vs the what happened happened the summer before is a great example. The are not equal yet we are not hunting down those leaders.
The problem I have with many social warriors is that they don't understand how wrong they are sometimes. They take a noble cause and then weaponize it for revenge. The white house raid vs the what happened happened the summer before is a great example. The are not equal yet we are not hunting down those leaders.
I disagree with your opinion on BLM with and the raid. That is not the topic and more appropriate to P&C
As a general rule, 'any organized religion' also benefits the secular society, in many ways.
Its good for a secular society if people do not kill, steal, covet, lust, etc.
In fact, i think this was probably the main reason organized religion got its start, it was an attempt to better control the people, so a prosperous society could thrive.
As a general rule, 'any organized religion' also benefits the secular society, in many ways.
Its good for a secular society if people do not kill, steal, covet, lust, etc.
In fact, i think this was probably the main reason organized religion got its start, it was an attempt to better control the people, so a prosperous society could thrive.
This implies that without religion, people will by default kill and steal, etc. That is rather insulting to moral, non-religious people.
This implies that without religion, people will by default kill and steal, etc. That is rather insulting to moral, non-religious people.
It is also insulting to religious people themselves because it suggests that they are moral not because the have empathy, compassion, kindness, selflessness or general good character, but only because they fear god's wrath and punishment.
This implies that without religion, people will by default kill and steal, etc. That is rather insulting to moral, non-religious people.
Agree 100%
Our atheist groups are involved in numerous charities in Florida, including feeding homeless people without forcing them to listen to a sermon or receive any type of religious or anti religious indoctrination. Just handing out food and water.
The Episcopal church in Tampa does that on Wednesdays after the noon service. Sandwiches are handed out to anyone who needs one, mainly homeless.
The Islamic center operates a medical clinic, for free, for anyone who needs it.
One HB Church offers groceries weekly, which is mostly surplus from farmers markets and grocery store donations, and hands it out for free to anyone. They also hand out clothes once a month, or in private if a person has suffered a tragedy, such as a fire.
The important thing to me is that people are being helped on the most basic level. The foundations of the needs are being addressed, both by religion and non-religious types.
It is about helping someone get food on the table and clothes on their back first and foremost.
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