Despite strong ties in the years after the civil rights movement, the relationship between the Black and Jewish communities of Brooklyn began to deteriorate. Three decades later, the tension between these two groups came to a head during the Crown Heights riots of 1991.
Disclaimer: While Jews are a diverse, multi-racial people, in this video when we speak about the interactions between the Black community and the Jewish community we are speaking about Jews of European descent.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:50 Jews and the Civil Rights Movement
01:03 The Jewish community of Brownsville, Brooklyn
01:44 The Black community of Bedford-Stuyvesant
02:16 Demographic shifts in Brownsville
02:42 Employer-employee and landlord-tenant relationships
03:25 Strike for Jewish teachers
04:53 Jewish concerns over Affirmative Action
05:54 Antisemitism in the black community
06:16 1991 Crown Heights Riots
07:28 The aftermath of the Crown Heights Riots
08:33 Efforts to overcome differences
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Recommended video— A Strained Relationship – The Complex History Between Black and Jewish Americans:
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This video was co-produced by OpenDor Media and Jewish Federations of North America. To learn more about the Jewish Federations of North America’s initiatives for racial justice and Jewish equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), visit:
Gold Level:
Walder Foundation
Silver Level:
The Bernstein Family Foundation
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Image and footage credits:
LOC
Brooklyn Public Library
Seattle Municipal Archives
Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com
David Lazerson
NARA
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