Jewish-Black Relations: A Historical Perspective

Beth Frankel Merenstein

African Americans have been in the United States for several hundred years—often arriving involuntarily—whereas Jewish Americans are more recent and voluntary arrivals to the United States, arriving in large numbers only within the last 120 years. Nonetheless, these two groups have a strong history that at times has been supportive but full of conflict and disagreement at other times. At times, there have been charges of Black anti-Semitism and Jewish racism. At other times, similarities in their experiences as groups have been highlighted, with oppression and lack of acceptance by the dominant majority the most salient. The reality is that all of this is true. This entry focuses on a chronological review of that history, beginning with the pre-20th century period, then moving on to the 1900s through 1960s, and ending with an exploration of the relationship through 1970. Historically, Black leaders often pointed to the experiences of Hebrews in ...

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