Obama pushes ahead with plan to rejuvenate black-Jewish alliance

[oberliner]

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Barack Obama's pledge to use his presidency to revive the black-Jewish alliance starts on Day (minus) One -- the day before he becomes president.

The president-elect's inaugural committee has asked Jewish groups to make black-Jewish dialogue and joint outreach to the poor a focus of Martin Luther King Day commemorations Jan. 19. Renewing the classic civil rights alliance is part of the inauguration's "big picture," a senior inauguration official told JTA.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/01/13/1002187/will-obama-renew-the-black-jewish-alliance

[firedupdem]

1. Good Article and info...thank you...

Invoking this alliance was a linchpin of his speech in May to thousands of members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, where references to domestic policy often fall flat. Not so with Obama: The Washington convention center filled with cheers when he invoked the memories of the three civil-rights volunteers -- two Jews and an African American -- who were murdered in Mississippi in 1964.

"In the great social movements in our country's history, Jewish and African Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder," Obama said. "They took buses down south together. They marched together. They bled together. And Jewish Americans like Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were willing to die alongside a black man -- James Chaney -- on behalf of freedom and equality."

A few months earlier, during a speech at last year’s commemoration of the King holiday at the slain civil-rights leader’s church in Atlanta, Obama criticized anti-immigrant and anti-gay sentiment in some corners of the black community. He also lamented that the “scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community.”

[oberliner]

3. You are welcome

It would be nice to see the relationship between those communities improve. Hopefully Obama can help lead the way!

[firedupdem]

4. I definitely feel he's a uniter and not a divider. This is a step in

the right direction.

[Yavin4]

2. ..

[Cha]

7. Yep..the ultimate

Black Jewish alliance.

[iamjoy]

5. Obama is Such a Mensch! (eom)

[Cha]

6. Rec'd~ thank

you, oberliner.

[pnorman]

8. "2008 Jewish Vote for Obama Exceeds All Expectations"

http://www.njdc.org/site/page/jewish_vote_for_obama_exceeds_all_expectations

Please DON'T confuse them with AIPAC supporters, although most feel very strongly about the survival of the state of Israel. Historically, the "Jewish vote" was always very strong on social justice issues. A century or so ago, that could have been regarded as self-serving, since they were down-trodden and despised. But surprisingly, most kept to those beliefs as they moved into affluence and respect.

pnorman

[elleng]

11. Nothing 'surprising' about keeping to our beliefs

which are, imo, BASIC.

[pnorman]

12. It would probaby be surprising to many,

including I suspect some here on DU. The idea that the Irving Cristol type neo-cons speak for most of the American Jews, is pretty wide-spread. The IRONY of this is that until about 30 or so years ago, the "far right" was almost 100% anti-Semitic --- some VISCERALLY so.

Here's a very good book about what I was referring to in my earlier posting: "WORLD of OUR FATHERS": http://www.amazon.com/World-Our-Fathers-Journey-European/dp/0814736858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231931649&sr=1-1

pnorman
Q: Will I finally put my agnostic beliefs aside, and undergo a death-bed Circumcision? (Sigh!)

[avaistheone1]

9. Is there a black Palestinian alliance?

Half of those who live in Gaza has just children. Any mercy for them for anyone at all?

Do the Palestinians have a place at Obama's table?

[oberliner]

10. Did you read the article?

"In the great social movements in our country's history, Jewish and African Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder," Obama said. "They took buses down south together. They marched together. They bled together. And Jewish Americans like Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were willing to die alongside a black man -- James Chaney -- on behalf of freedom and equality."

This is about strengthening this historical relationship in the United States.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. In other words: What the Palestinians ever done for African Americans?

[oberliner]

14. Just saying that this article is not about Israelis or Palestinians

It's about the historic relationship between African-Americans and Jewish Americans and how Obama hopes to strengthen that relationship.

[WinkyDink]

16. AMERICAN Jews, FGS. TRY not to be knee-jerk or any other kind.

[WinkyDink]

15. Are you ignorant of America's Civil Rights movement? Goodman, Chaney, Schwerner, e.g.?

How old are you?