Community Relations Council

by | Jun 18, 2020 | Other News

Recent weeks have been extremely difficult for our country. The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is appalled and angered by the death of George Floyd at the hands of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. Our sorrow is further compounded by the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, another act of ugly and violent racism, and the many others whose names and faces we must memorialize. Fifty-six years after the historic signing of the Civil Rights Act, we must commit to standing in partnership and solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Black community and collectively strive to stamp out racism and prejudice in all its forms. We in the Jewish community know all too personally and painfully the dangers of unchecked hatred, particularly when it becomes institutionalized within the structures of society.

Our Jewish tradition compels us to seek justice, and we are committed to being part of the solution. Now is the time for the community to reengage in tough conversations about how we can end systemic racism, hatred, anti-Semitism, and bigotry, so we can all rise together for the greater good of future generations. We must all embody the values for which we advocate by deepening relationships on a personal level with people of different backgrounds. Not only will our lives be enriched, but we will also become better and more impactful allies and partners.

To this end, our Jewish Community Relations Council plans to launch a Combating Hate Task Force in the coming months to provide opportunities for the Jewish community to reflect, learn, and discuss our individual and communal roles in dismantling systemic racism and anti-Semitism. We invite you to join us in this work. To learn more about the new Task Force, contact Megan Zuckerman, CRC director, at mzuckerman@ujft.org.

Civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis—whose call for peaceful protests recognizes that justice has been denied for far too long—has implored all people of goodwill to: “…Organize. Demonstrate. Sit in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive.”

We join Congressman Lewis in his call, and we pray that, through justice, peaceful solutions are found.