 |
|
 |
Jews, African Americans Use History to Change Today
March 10, 2001Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friendAt the University of Wisconsin Madison Hillel, more than 200 students, faculty and community members came together to celebrate diversity on campus thanks to a national initiative of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and the Anti-Defamation League. The program, funded by the Perry and Martin Granoff Foundation, used the PBS documentary, "From Swastika to Jim Crow," as an opportunity to explore relations between Jews and African Americans.
"I'm thrilled to see so many people interested in doing this kind of programming," says Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow Lauren Bloom. The program was co-sponsored by the Black Student Union of Undergraduate and Graduate Students/Professionals, the Associated Students of Madison and the Multicultural Center.
"From Swastika to Jim Crow" is a documentary highlighting several Jewish refugee scholars in the 1930s who were hired at historically African-American colleges and universities in the segregated south. These professors not only contributed to the schools, but also made significant contributions to the civil rights movement.
The UW-Madison Foundation was one of 18 Hillels chosen to participate in the premiere viewing. Wherever possible, Hillel Foundations arranged for professors and students featured in the film to participate in the event. A highlight of the Madison program was the appearance of Jim McWilliams, a former student at the historically black Talladega College in Alabama, who spoke about his appreciation for his Jewish professors. In their discussion after the film, students reached beyond the historical message of the documentary to address the contemporary state of black-Jewish relations on campus.
"It was amazing, it gives Hillel a more universal view," says Madison student Allison Burck. "People don't think of the connection between Jews and African Americans, but you have to start somewhere."
"This program underscores the fact that Jewish and African-American communities share a deeply rooted commitment to pursuing justice and transforming communities that continues today," says Suzanne Borden, director of the Tzedek Hillel initiative.
At George Washington University Hillel in Washington, D.C., students discussed how increased cooperation between Jews and African Americans could bring change on campus. Student Eli Rosenblatt said that students from both communities agreed on a need for increased "social get-togethers and more events [to] break down barriers."
GW Black Student Union President Philip Robinson invited Jewish students to join the planning committee for the Black Student Union Diversity Ball and to attend Black History Month events throughout February.
The event worked its charm at Goucher College as well. "It seemed to spark a lot of interest in keeping the dialogue open," explains student Miriam Steinberg, who is a member of Hillel's Board of Directors. The Goucher discussion led to the planning of a cross-cultural celebration of freedom, "a Freedom Seder."
"People here talk a lot about race, but this was a way to see something tangible," she says.
The Hillel Foundations participating were: University of Georgia; University of Arizona; Emory University; Georgetown University; Goucher College; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Hillel of San Francisco; University of Oklahoma; Duke University; University of Missouri; Hillel of Milwaukee; Columbia University; Kent State University; Monmouth College; University of Nevada Las Vegas; Greensboro College; Northern Arizona University; Qunnipac College; Hunter College; and George Washington University.
|
 |
|
 |