Saturday, November 29, 2014

Black-Jew Dialogues

On November 14, I attended a production at Anshe Emet Synagogue entitled “Black-Jew Dialogues.” Through sketches, improvisations, multi-media, and puppets, this two man show is has a mission. “The black and Jewish communities in America share a history of pain, oppression, pride, and a deep commitment to civil rights and justice. In the past several decades the communities have slowly drifted apart...From the inception of the N.A.A.C.P to black newspapers being first in decrying the abuse of Jews in Nazi Germany to the civil rights movement here, blacks and Jews have been arm-in-arm in their fight for social justice. Through laughter, honesty, conversation (and a little nosh), The Black-Jew Dialogues is our attempt to revive this all-important union.” Through brutal yet relatable humor, the show strives to model effective conversations about being an ally, as well as the difficulties of being a minority navigating American institutions.
One concept presented in the show that peaked my interest was that of competing lists of hardship. The “Jew” and the “Black” argued over which community had suffered more throughout their history, however, they eventually reached the conclusion that they aren’t even comparable, nor worth finding a way to compare them. I thought about this within the context of self-pity as a preventative to progress, and I continue to question the role of acknowledging and comparing hardships in being an ally.

I was drawn to the promising idea of historic allies. Allies are intrinsically crucial to creating change for an oppressed people because by definition, they are not apart of that oppressed group, and their power enables they and the oppressed voices be heard. The job of an ally, I think, is to amplify the voices of the oppressed. More interestingly, is the concept of a historic ally. It is almost beautiful to think of the parallel existences of two groups oppressed in different areas of their identity. It speaks to the value of having skin in the game: if you know what it is like to be oppressed, you will do everything you can to ensure others don’t have that experience as well. Allyship over decades requires immense collaboration that often seems unsustainable, and in this generation, the Black-Jew dialogues identified the Jewish-Black partnership to be struggling. As I move forward, I would like to assume responsibility for the relationship, as I know it is crucial to both communities’ futures.

1 comment:

  1. I truly enjoyed your blog post, Ellory. You clearly have an understanding about the difficulties both cultures have dealt with throughout history, and clearly articulate the effectiveness of conversations about being an ally. Both cultures have been persecuted and marginalized throughout their histories, and as you mentioned, "the job of an ally is to amplify the voices of the oppressed." As part of the Jewish culture, it is important to amplify our own voices, and in the process, help others to do the same. Nice work!

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