Blacks & Jews: Anatomy of Relations and Conflicts By Deborah Kaufman, Bari Scott, & Alan Snitow WHO ARE AFRICAN-AMERICANS? WHO ARE JEWS? Was there really a grand alliance between these groups and why is there such tension between them today? And why should the future relationship between these two communities be unique or noteworthy? Last summer, KPFA asked producers Alan Snitow, a former KPFA News Director, Deborah Kaufman, former Director of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and Third World Department Director Bari Scott to produce a series of radio programs to investigate these questions. Some of the answers seem fairly straightforward. Blacks and Jews have been the backbone of progressive political coalitions on the left, in the labor and civil rights movements, the Democratic Party, and in Congress for generations. Their alliances on fair housing, social programs, the 'urban agenda' and the redistribution of power from the white American elite to people of a multicultural nation have been keystones for progressive empowerment. Are Jews and African-Americans abandoning that relationship? Is that the message of Crown Heights, Farrakhan, and the neo- conservatives of Commentary magazine? And what will replace that relationship: an unchallenged victory of Republican conservatives, the hegemony of inward-looking, nationalist leadership inside both communities? For the past six months, we have interviewed dozens of activists and scholars, taped speeches by provocateurs and peace-makers, visited with poets and recorded Black/Jewish drama therapy workshops, searching for answers. For the most part, we have come up with more questions, but they are a different set of questions than those asked during media stereotyping and myth-making about these two groups. Mainstream media's focus on conflict rewards those who express antagonism while undervaluing those who work for resolution. It is easy for the news media to cover incidents of blatant anti-Semitism and racism, while avoiding their responsibility to expose politicians who use hatred to mobilize their bases of support. In a corrupt political system, perpetuating ethnic hatred diverts attention from those who profit politically from that hatred. Those who have dared to challenge the political leadership within their own communities have often been shunned as renegades and even branded as traitors. Progressive Jews suffer when they publicly criticize Israeli policy. They have also felt a backlash from within the general progressive community when they have defended the existence of Israel. Progressive Blacks have been criticized in their community when they condemn anti-Semitism. Such condemnations however, fail to end demands that they repudiate controversial outspoken Black leaders whose statements have become symbols of resistance and pride. The silencing of dissent within both communities, and the lack of solidarity among dissidents has fostered cynicism, a turning inward, a desire and demand for consolidation, for internal unity. Since the demise of the so-called grand alliance of the civil rights era, agendas within ethnic communities have become more parochial. 'Identity politics' has helped to identify elements of cohesion and pride within communities, but it has also made coalitions a much lower priority. Victimization has become entangled with entitlements and competition. From Castlemont High to Crown Heights, it is not uncommon to hear arguments comparing oppressions, as if the legacy of the Holocaust or the history of slavery were events to be compared; as if being the better victim should define who we are. Yet we are not simply victims of oppression. We define ourselves and are empowered by our diversity, vitality, and the strength we have to struggle for and to make change. And so we hope to give you a different story, weaving together interviews, verite, and archival material with storytelling, music, drama, and poetry. Each program will elucidate a different aspect of the relationship between the two communities. An hour long documentary will be followed by discussion and phone calls. The first show airs on Sunday, May 8 at 9 AM. It focuses upon the diversity of views and "political will" within each community, and how these have affected relations between the two peoples. The second program, airing Sunday, May 15, explores the variety of ways that Jews conceive of Blacks and Blacks conceive of Jews. We will examine the stereotypes of Black youth, the controversies over the slave trade and alleged control over the media and Hollywood. We will also probe the idea that there is a particular form of Black anti-Semitism and Jewish racism. The third program (May 22), jumps into the battles over history. The once close relationship between African-Americans and American Jews has become fraught with pain, confusion, and recriminations. Even the basic idea that there is or was such a relationship is contested. We promise no definitive answers, but we promise new kinds of questions. In show number four (May 29), we talk to visionaries and activists about their work. We will look at the legitimate and difficult problems that set Blacks and Jews apart even when there is will and good faith to try to overcome them. We will suggest that alliance is based upon visionary leadership within each community and we will examine how this leadership emerges and consolidates its base. Bill Sokol has graciously offered four Sunday mornings of his show time in May to air Black and Jews: Ambivalent Allies, starting Sunday, May 8 at 9 AM and continuing for the three Sundays after that. We hope you'll join us. .