News and Updates Clergy Corner

For nearly a decade, we have been concerned with the widespread rise of antisemitism in America and around the world. We have discussed how to tackle the problem, how to reduce the rising tide of Jew hatred, and how we should spend our resources dealing with the problem. We even had a commercial at the Super Bowl alerting the whole country to the problem. Yet, after engaging in this battle year after year, a few important lessons have shaped my perspective. Yes, of course, we need to fight antisemitism. But how we do that and what we do matters. Spinning our wheels with campaigns, protests, and advertisements that don’t move the needle is unproductive. I will always continue to stand up and call out Jew hatred. However, I think we will do better going forward by making allies and friends rather than picking fights with enemies.

To that end, I have embarked on a mission to rekindle the friendship and synergy that existed between the Jewish and Black communities during the Civil Rights Era. Unfortunately, in subsequent decades, that relationship has frayed for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, we have much in common. Our shared legacies of suffering and perseverance in this country make us natural partners to work together to bring more love to our country, to work together on tikkun olam projects, and to create a powerful allyship and friendship between our communities.

This month, from August 24-26, I am convening (along with several partners) a summit in Atlanta that will host thirty senior rabbis and thirty senior Black pastors from major cities around the country. We will get to know each other and the issues that confront both our communities. We are fortunate that Van Jones from CNN and a wide variety of incredible national leaders will join us and help guide our conversations. We will be meeting at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and Atlanta’s well-known Reform synagogue, “The Temple.” We will also gather at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for a vigil at Dr. King’s tomb. Our goal is for each pair of clergy (a rabbi and a Black pastor) to return home and convene all the rabbis and Black pastors of their city in fellowship, partnership, and a shared mission. It is my hope that this summit will grow year after year until it is flooded with rabbis and pastors eager to cultivate the relationship between our communities.

There are many in this country who have no interest in sitting at our tables. They prefer to rally the call to hatred and polarization in our society. Those I am working with in Atlanta join me in rejecting those disgraceful calls, and instead are working to amplify love and harmony in our efforts to drown out the voices of hatred. I look forward to sharing our progress with you following this historic summit!

L’Shalom,
Rabbi Jeremy Barras