Jewish anti-racism is Jewish opposition to

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

. Significant numbers of Jewish

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

activists have participated in a variety of anti-racist movements, including the American civil rights movement, the South African anti-apartheid movement, and the international Palestinian solidarity movement.

By country

France

The

International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism—or Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l'antisémitisme (LICRA) in French—was established in 1927 and is opposed to intolerance, xenophobia, and exclusion. In 1927, French jour ...

was founded in 1927, mostly with the intent to combat antisemitism. The organization has since expanded its mission to include opposition to

and

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

. The Jewish collective ''Tsedek!'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

for "Justice!") describes itself as an anti-racist, anti-Zionist, and

decolonial Decoloniality () is a school of thought that aims to delink from Eurocentric knowledge hierarchies and ways of being in the world in order to enable other forms of existence on Earth. It critiques the perceived universality of Western knowl ...

organization.

Israel

Ethiopian Jews Beta Israel, or Ethiopian Jews, is a Jewish group originating from the territory of the Amhara and Tigray regions in northern Ethiopia, where they are spread out across more than 500 small villages over a wide territory, alongside predominant ...

in Israel have played a central role in opposition to anti-Black racism, as Ethiopian Jews and other Black Jews experience anti-Black racism within Israeli society. The July 2019 Ethiopian Jews protest in Israel was led by Ethiopian Jews and their allies, reacting to anti-Black police brutality in Israel.

South Africa

South African Jews played a notable role in the

anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

in South Africa. A substantial number of white South Africans who were actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement were Jewish. Although the majority of South African Jews and the Jewish establishment in South Africa initially did not condemn the apartheid government, those Jews who participated in the anti-apartheid movement were disproportionately represented in light of the fact that Jews were only 0.3% of the South African population and they were only 2.5% of the white population. More than half of the white South Africans who were charged during the

Rivonia Trial The Rivonia Trial was a trial that took place in apartheid-era South Africa between 9 October 1963 and 12 June 1964, after a group of anti-apartheid activists were arrested on Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. The farm had been the secret location f ...

were Jewish.

United Kingdom

In 2021, the

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) is the democratic representative body of all the Jewish communities of Scotland. The council was founded in 1999 in response to History of Scottish devolution, Scottish devolution, with the p ...

released their "Jewish Manifesto for Scotland", which advocated for anti-racist education and the provision of culturally sensitive public services, among other policies.

United States

Abolitionist movement

While some American Jews who lived during the

Antebellum Period The ''Antebellum'' South era (from ) was a period in the history of the Southern United States that extended from the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. This era was marked by the prevalent practi ...

were in favor of or took no actions against

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

, others were actively involved in the abolitionist movement. Jews were noted as members of abolitionist organizations during the early 1830s. An 1853 report by the

American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society split off from the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1840. The key issue was whether women could participate in abolitionist organizations; this Society was opposed. The origin of the split, according t ...

noted that some Southern Jews had "refused to have any right of property in man, or even to have any slaves about them" and that the history of antisemitic persecution was a motivating factor for those Jews to support abolitionism.

Civil rights movement

2020s anti-racist organizing

Many American Jews have participated in anti-racist movements during the 2020s, including the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

and the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

movement. In 2020, over 600 Jewish organizations representing the majority of American Jews signed onto a letter published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jewish pro-Palestinian activism

Jews Say No to Genocide-Hollywood Protest for a Ceasefire in Gaza

During the 1930s, Jewish Communists in the United States accused the Zionist movement in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

of perpetuating " Jim-Crowism". Jewish activists, many of them Jewish anti-Zionists, have played a notable and highly visible role in international pro-Palestinian activism. Jewish organizations such as

IfNotNow IfNotNow is an American Jewish activist group that opposes the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Its membership demonstrates against politicians, United States policies, and institutions that support Israel's occupation, usu ...

and

Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; ) is an American Jewish anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy organization. It is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign ag ...

(JVP) have played a prominent role in the 2024 pro-Palestinian university campus protests. The Anti-Defamation League has criticized Jewish anti-Zionist groups such as JVP for characterizing Zionism as a form of

and

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, Jewish anti-racism
Anti-Racism
New Synagogue Project
Official website

Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

Racial Justice
Avodah.net
Racial Justice

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism The Religious Action Center (RAC) is the political and legislative outreach arm of Reform Judaism in the United States. The Religious Action Center is operated under the auspices of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, a joint instrum ...

Take Action: Antiracism Resources

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Founded in 1893, the NCJW describes itself as the oldest Jewish women's grassroots organization organization in the USA and currently has over 225,000 members. ...

Yiddish, Anti-Racist Practice, and the Transformation of Jewish Communities

Museum of Jewish Heritage The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located on Edmond J. Safra Plaza in Battery Park City in Manhattan, New York City, is a historical museum and a memorial to those murdered in The Holocaust. The museum has received more than two million visitors ...