Let Freedom Ring: Black/Jewish Relations
and the UMass Freedom Seder
Judaic 193D / Spring 2004
(one-credit course)
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Larry Goldbaum
UMass Office of Jewish Affairs
Introduction
African Americans and American Jews often walked hand in hand during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, but later found themselves at odds over certain Black leaders (such as Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan) and controversial issues such as Affirmative Action and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Through multimedia presentations and historical readings, this course introduces students to the rich and complex history of Black/Jewish relations, and provides a historical context for the Freedom Seder held annually at UMass Amherst. Interested students may use this course as a practicum to participate in organizing this year's Freedom Seder.
(Photo of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, in a 1964 civil rights march)
Readings
Our principal texts will be Strangers & Neighbors: Relations Between Blacks & Jews in the United States (edited by Maurianne Adams and John Bracey); "The Freedom Seder as Antidote to Black/Jewish Conflict" (a presentation by Larry Goldbaum at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, NCORE); and the Haggadah from this year's Freedom Seder. All page numbers refer to Strangers & Neighbors.
1. Introduction
2. Overview of Black/Jewish Relations in the U.S.
"Brief History of Black/Jewish Relations" (NCORE)
3. Overview of Black/Jewish Relations at UMass
"Structure and Themes of the Freedom Seder"; "Organizing a Freedom Seder"; and "Questions to Ponder" (NCORE)
4. The cycle of Black/Jewish conflict
5. The Role of Jews in the Slave Trade
“Jews and Negro Slavery in the Old South” (p.147); and
“The Role of Jews in the Transatlantic Slave Trade” (p.105)
6. Jewish history and African Americans
“Go Down Moses” (p.53); and “African Americans, Exodus, and the American Israel” (p.57)
7. Intersection of Blacks and Jews in the U.S.
Film: “Blacks and Jews” (Part 1)
8. Intersection of Blacks and Jews in the U.S.
Film: “Blacks and Jews” (Part 2)
9. Civil Rights and Affirmative Action
“Blacks and Jews in the Civil Rights Movement” (p.574)
“Negotiating Coalition: Black and Jewish Civil Rights Agencies...” (p.476)
10. Jewish racism? Black antisemitism?
“Exploding the Myth of Black Anti-Semitism” (p.660)
“A Negro Speaks to Jews” (p.681)
11. Clash in Crown Heights
Film: “Fires in the Mirror”
12. Israel, Zionism, and Black Nationalism
“Negro and Jew: An Encounter in America” (p.641)
“Black-Jewish Relations in 1984” (p.688)
13. Bridges and Boundaries
Images from the “Bridges and Boundaries” exhibition
14. Freedom Seder, Conclusion, Evaluation
Haggadah (booklet of readings) from the 2004 Freedom Seder
For more information...
History of Black/Jewish Relations in the U.S.
(3-credit course which premiered in Fall 1999)
Bridges and Boundaries exhibition
(University Gallery, Sept-Oct 1999)
2006 Freedom Seder haggadah (PDF, 23pp, 1.2MB)
The Freedom Seder as Antidote to Black/Jewish conflict (PDF, 7pp, 28KB)
Presentation at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education,
(San Francisco, California, 5/29/03)
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