Since inviting you to our national call Tisha B’Av: Mourning and Reimagining Safety last week, Trump has escalated his attacks on the uprisings for Black lives with terrifying, draconian tactics under the guise of safety. Rather than addressing white supremacy and anti-Black racism, he is using unidentified federal agents to squash free speech and inspire fear.
But this is not new: Repression from police and law enforcement have been part of the Black experience, including Black Jews, for centuries. And before being deployed on the streets of Portland, ICE and CBP have spent decades terrorizing Black and Brown immigrants. On Tisha B’Av – the saddest day of the Jewish year – we must not only mourn the destruction around us, but reimagine a transformed world where we are all safe.
Will you join us tomorrow, Wednesday, July 29th at 8 pm EST on Facebook Live?
In recent years, many Jews and allies have marked Tisha B'Av in the streets, in front of detention centers and prisons, crying out against violence in our immigration and carceral systems – violence committed by the same agencies and systems flooding Portland and other cities. And this year, we must continue the tradition of turning our collective grief into collective transformation.
Last week, leaders of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Pittsburgh brought together partners at 1Hood Media and Repair the World for a powerful panel with Zach Banner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the course of a nearly two-hour conversation, Black and Jewish activists discussed solidarity in the face of racism, antisemitism, and white supremacy.
Tomorrow, join us for another opportunity to discuss how we can transform our country into a multiracial democracy where all of us are safe and free.
Join us in mourning and reflection tomorrow, Wednesday at 8pm EST on Tisha B’Av.
We know that anti-Black racism and antisemitism are part of the machinery of fear and division, and we are committed to rising up against them, together with Black organizers inside and outside of our own Jewish community.
In solidarity,
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
