RELS 208 Black Power and Jews, Black Power and Palestine
In 1965, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and in 2014, Jews in Massachusetts protested police violence during Hanukkah under a banner that read “Jews Say #BlackLivesMatter,” two instances that illustrate the joint struggle for freedom shared by Jews and Black Americans. However, this relationship, like nearly all relationships, was not without its variances. For example, in the 1950s, civil rights activist Malcolm X criticized the Israeli occupation of Palestine and Black Americans and Palestinians found mutual recognition during the Ferguson-Gaza moment of 2014. In this course we will study multifaceted Black-Jewish partnerships, as well as Black-Jewish-Palestinian interactions. We will learn that the occupation of Palestine did not necessarily spell the breakdown of Black-Jewish interactions because these relationships have always been complex. Reading op-eds, academic articles, novels, memoirs, and films, we will explore a range of topics such as: anti-Black racism; antisemitism; Afro-Jews; mistreatment of Mizrahi (Middle Eastern Jews) at the hands of Ashkenazi (Jews of European origin); Palestinian activism and solidarity activism with Palestinians; Black Internationalism; intersectionality; and much more. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify and appreciate a much more sophisticated history of Black-Jewish-Palestinian solidarity, as well as understand both the erudition and emotional lives of committed liberation activists whether they be Ashkenazi Jews, Afro-Jews, Black folks, Palestinians, or Mizrahi Jews.
Credits
This a 4-unit course. On average, you should expect to spend at least twelve (12) hours a week (including in-class time) on this course.
Prerequisite
N/A
Corequisite
N/A