Black History Month is an annual commemoration of the achievements of African Americans and a time to recognize their central role in US history. As part of this celebration, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who played a key role in the civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and all victims of injustice through peaceful protest.
King was a man of faith who understood the moral imperative of Israel and admired the values that undergirded the Jewish state. How sad, then, that at a time of increasing racial tension and antisemitism in the US, issues related to social justice have been manipulated by extremist groups who push a virulently anti-Israel agenda.
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Civil Rights and the Jewish State
In fact, anti-Zionist sentiments within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization are the antithesis of MLK’s thinking. According to Middle East historian Martin Kramer, the two people closest to Dr. King were refugees from Hitler’s Europe who regarded the creation of Israel as a redemptive act: Rabbi Joachim Prinz and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Just as the Holocaust fueled these men’s passion for civil rights, it cemented their devotion to the Jewish state. It was Heschel who, immediately following the Six-Day War, wrote ‘Israel: Echo of Eternity’. The book includes this quote:
One of the insights learned from the great crisis in May, 1967 is the deep personal involvement of every Jew in the existence of Israel. It is not a matter of philanthropy or general charity but of spiritual identification. It is such a personal relationship to Israel upon which one’s dignity as a Jew is articulated.”
And while there is much conjecture as to where King stood on the Israel-Palestinian issue, he never questioned the Jewish state’s essential legitimacy:
Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect her right to exist, its territorial integrity and the right to use whatever sea lanes it needs. Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security, and that security must be a reality.”
He is also attributed with having said, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking antisemitism,” in response to a student who had attacked Zionism during an event in 1968.
How Some Members of Black Lives Matter View Israel
2020 was the year that King’s civil rights baton passed to millions of people across the United States, challenging the country to live up to its full potential as a truly democratic society.
The tragic death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer became a flashpoint for US race relations, setting off massive protests that spread around the world.
The Black Lives Matter movement organized these protests, with a purported goal that could not be nobler: eradicating racism and combatting senseless violence that is inflicted by law enforcement. By doing so, the lives of black people in the United States would dramatically improve.
However, a small subset of activists with antisemitic and anti-Israel agendas have hijacked the memory of George Floyd – and the worthy goals of the Black Lives Matter movement. These radical elements are attempting to warp the cause of racial justice to promote hatred and violence.
Consequently, BLM has called for an end of US military support for Israel, which it refers to as an “apartheid state” that is perpetrating genocide against the Palestinian people. Even more ominously, the organization “seeks to dismantle the Zionist project,” according to recent remarks made during a virtual Democratic Socialists of America BDS working group discussion by American academic and pro-Palestinian activist Marc Lamont Hill.
In case there was any doubt, BLM’s manifesto includes a link to the website of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.
Related Reading: How BDS Spreads its Anti-Israel Agenda
Another way that fringe groups have exploited the BLM movement is the “Deadly Exchange” campaign. Endorsed by Amnesty International, the campaign claims that “‘worst practices are shared to promote and extend discriminatory and repressive policing in both countries [Israel, United States] including extrajudicial executions, shoot-to-kill policies, police murders, racial profiling, massive spying and surveillance, deportations and detention, and attacks on human rights defenders.” The “Deadly Exchange” campaign also includes antisemitic tropes.
Sadly, by subjecting the Jewish state to a standard that no other nation on earth is held to, many of today’s BLM leaders are blurring the line between legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and overt Jew-hatred.
Brotherhood: King’s Legacy Lives on in 2021
Even in a year of unprecedented turmoil, green shoots of King’s legendary empathy and compassion nonetheless did sprout. After NFL player Desean Jackson made antisemitic statements while speaking about the Black Lives Matter cause, four different ESPN anchors condemned his words and made it clear that antisemitism is no different than hatred against African Americans.
Related Reading: Is Antisemitism Free Speech or Hate Speech?
In September, the National Urban League and American Jewish Committee collaborated by declaring a Black-Jewish Unity week. This effort was buttressed when Black and Jewish members of Congress endorsed the unity week with a congressional resolution recognizing the joint need to combat antisemitism and racism.
In early 2021, more than 170 Black and Jewish entertainment industry professionals signed a unity statement with the goal of improving relations between Blacks and Jews, while countering racism and antisemitism in the entertainment community.
So as Israel and the United States continue to grapple with a wide range of problems, there is some reason to hope that the desire for justice and equality that undergirds these two democracies will no longer be hijacked by a small group of extremists who traffic in hatred and intolerance. After all, as Dr. King said:
Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
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Featured Image: Martin Luther King (Wikimedia Commons)
