Nick Brown, attorney general of Washington state, joined civic leaders, legislators and Jewish leaders on Wednesday for a “lox and legislators” breakfast at Herzl-Ner Tamid, a Conservative synagogue on Mercer Island, Wash., for a discussion on ways to strengthen ties between black and Jewish communities.
David Shujman, president of the synagogue who helped organize the event with Sam Jefferies, founder of the political action committee Kids Table that supports pro-Jewish candidates, told JNS that the goal was to “build bridges.”
“The biggest takeaway for me is that as much as social media and the internet and technology has an impact on the noise, this is what we need to be doing,” he said. “We need to find more time and more forums to connect face-to-face across any community.”
Shujman wanted to fill the room for the event, which drew about 50 people, with leaders who can help build those bridges. State legislators Mari Leavitt, Jesse Salomon and Lauren Davis were on hand, as were Natalie Walton-Anderson from the office of Girmay Zahilay, executive of King County.
“Some of the reason that I’ve tried to be consistent in my advocacy around antisemitism the Jewish community is facing is informed by what I learned growing up,” Brown, the state attorney general who is black, told attendees.
His father, who grew up in South Carolina, “talked to me about the partnership and community between the Jewish community and the black community in the Civil Rights Movement,” he said.
Brown urged attendees to keep engaging despite disagreements. “It is vital that we continue to gather like this,” he said. “We can have difficult conversations.”
After Brown spoke, attendees at each table took part in guided discussions about questions, which included how Jew-hatred and anti-black racism overlap and how they surface differently, and what assumptions must be challenged.
“The black-Jewish alliance needs rebuilding,” Jefferies, of the PAC, told JNS.
“Today was the first step in laying new stones in the foundation,” he said. “This work is imperative and must be immediate. Today’s conversation was the spark we needed: honesty, humility and eagerness to act.”
“So many filled the room with open minds and calloused hands,” he told JNS. “I agree with the attorney general. We have new bridges to cross, together.”
Michelle Merriweather, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, told JNS that lasting partnerships between the two communities require personal relationships.
“We need to continuously build relationships with one another,” she said. “I love you. I know you. I am in relationship with you, and what matters to you should matter to me.”
