Paper Example on Jews and Civil Rights Movement

Introduction

Jews are ethnoreligious society originating from the Hebrews or Israelites, of the Ancient East. It is important to understand that Jewish religion, nationhood, and ethnicity are strongly interrelated. Regardless of their small percentage in the global scene, Jews have hugely contributed to societal development in various ways, both in modern times and historically. Jews culture has influenced many fields including science and technology, philosophy, literature, ethics, music theatre, fine arts and architecture, and politics. Tracing their origins to Biblical period, the Jews have a history dating over 5000 years. Emerging from a common religion, the Jews have developed an ethical system, culture, and customs which distinguishes them from the rest of the people (Dinnerstein, 1). Jewish people have survived the centuries of massacres, persecution, and dispersion. However, what role did the Jews played in the civil rights movement? Well, it is true that the Jews, especially in the US, have a long history of advocating on behalf of other communities. In the 1960s for instance, Jewish people played a key role in fighting for the rights of African- Americans and against racism and inequality (Sachar, 1). Martin Luther King Jr. together with reform Jewish leaders championed the uprising of civil rights movement in the United States which in the long run resulted in the constitutional reforms which provide equal rights for every ethnic community in the US. It is essential to know that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were drafted in the RAC building which is the home of Reform Judaism. This means that Jewish leaders and activists were in the forefront in supporting the civil rights policies which addressed the issues of discrimination in employment, housing, and voting against people of colour.

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Some of the Jews leaders and activists who led the Jewish people during the civil right movements include Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Stephen S. Wise who collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr. during the protests. In 1965 Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. marched arm-in-arm on Selma to show the world that the Jewish people were major allies of the African-Americans and they actively involved in fighting for equality and freedom for all. Stephen Wise one of the famous American Jewish leaders argued that solving the discrimination issues which the African-Americans faced will help them solve those issues for Jews and other communities in America. Moreover, many of Martin Luther's advisors were Jewish businessmen and leaders such as Rabbi Israel Dresner. Although supporting civil rights movement was dangerous for these Jewish leaders and businessmen, they never stopped fighting alongside Martin Luther King Jr. In 1964 for example, the white segregationists in Mississippi murdered two Jewish Activists, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner who were close allies of the African-Americans in the movement (Martin Luther King, 1). Jewish businessmen, on the other hand, played a key role in funding and found some of the most influential civil rights movements such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Jews strongly supported the civil rights movement because just like the African Americans they had also experienced exile, slavery, and oppression. They shared the same values and ideas about freedom and equality. In general, it is evident that Jewish religious leaders together with the ministers from the black churches played a significant role in promoting and implementing civil rights which spearheads political freedom and racial equality. Their main objective was to protect groups and individuals from political discrimination and repression by private organizations and governments.

Civil rights movement were organized protests which were purposely conducted to create awareness about the inequity and the political discrimination in the society. This movement resulted in the implementation of fair policies which ensured that people from minority communities are not discriminated against. Some of the examples of civil rights movement include the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, Selma's march in 1965, and Martin Luther's march on Washington in 1963 (Chanes, 1). Civil rights movement comprises of individuals who have shared values and objectives. For example, during the march on Selma in 1965, both the African Americans and Jewish felt that it was their moral responsibility to fight racism, hatred, and discrimination.

Conclusion

I tend to believe that the Jewish people accomplished a lot in the civil rights movement. Their alliance with the African- Americans focused on transforming the main institutions of the society such as the social, political, educational, and employment institutions. They spearheaded the implementation of various judicial and legislative policies which advocated for equality in the society (Jews, MLK and the Civil Rights Movement, 1). Some of the famous achievements of the civil rights movement which the Jewish people were involved in include the enactment of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil rights Act of 1964. It is no doubt that these three policies have played a very important role in bringing peace and harmony in our society. Moreover, it has controlled the issue of discrimination against minority ethnic groups.

Work Cited

Dinnerstein, Leonard. "American Jews and the Civil Rights Movement." African Studies Review, Cambridge University Press, 1 Mar. 2002, muse.jhu.edu/article/29320/pdf.

Chanes, Jerome A. "Jews and the Civil Rights Movement." Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 24 Apr. 2017, www.jta.org/2011/05/03/news-opinion/united-states/jews-and-the-civil-rights-movement.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jews in the Civil Rights Movement." Moment Magazine - The Next 5,000 Years of Conversation Begin Here, 27 Jan. 2015, www.momentmag.com/martin-luther-king-jr-jews-civil-rights-movement/.

Sachar, Howard. "Jews in the Civil Rights Movement." My Jewish Learning, My Jewish Learning, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-in-the-civil-rights-movement/.

WordPress.com. "Jews, MLK and the Civil Rights Movement." JEWISH HOME LA, 18 Jan. 2016, jewishhomela.com/2015/02/03/jews-mlk-and-the-african-american-civil-rights-movement/.