Blacks & Jews on PBS
This month was the premier of Black and Jewish in America: An Interwoven History on PBS. I had seen trailers for this series for months; and I was really looking forward to it. I finally finished watching the final episode this morning.
Like many television series, the tales was a carefully crafted one. I do have a lot of respect for Henry Louis Gates, Jr. because in general, he avoids weaving in his own personal bias into his work; yet he is clearly driven by his own personal experience and values. This is not a bad thing — because it makes the effort feel passionate and personal.
Of course there was criticism of the series, especially in regards to how it handled the existence of Black Jews. But hey, at least it acknowledged Black Jews. Even if it didn’t do a great job of explaining that not every Black Jew is an Ethiopian or of Ethiopian decent.
And of course there was a presentation of Louis Farrakhan, which always seems to pop up (like a cold sore) as a prime example of Black American antisemitism. To be fair, and I say this as a deeply committed Jewish woman, Farrakhan made great strides in the 1990s specifically in building up the self-esteem of many Black Americans. But he did it while promoting bigotry and ignorance. And plenty of people in the Black American community (myself and my family included) saw right through this charade and saw Farrakhan as a joke. I really wish that this highlighting of Farrakhan as the quintessential Black anti-semite would also point out that the majority of Black Americans pay him no mind — in spite of his loudness and prominence (as the media likes to amplify him far beyond his actual impact).
Overall this series was a good primer; a sort of ‘Blacks and Jews 101’. For sure, there is so much more than what is presented here. So many more layers and nuances. For example the entire thing is very much focused on the United States; ignoring the impact and interaction of Jews and Blacks outside of the United States — like in the Caribbean, Canada and South America — where the story was quite different. Ignoring those relationships is exactly why people still get confused when you say that there are synagogues and Jewish graveyards in Jamaica — and that many people from Central and South America have Jewish ancestry.
If there is any take-away to be held onto from this series it is that both Black and Jews (and certainly the conflation of the two) are both ‘others’ in America. We have been scapegoated and persecuted and victims of terrible bigotry. Yet in spite of that we have risen up — and refused to just roll over and give up. We are survivors — and we aren’t going anywhere. So there is no time like the present to start learning how to live together and even love each other. It may not be possible — but it is a beautiful goal to try to work towards.
