Struggles in the Promised Land: Towards a History of Black-Jewish Relations in the United States

449 Pages·1997·26.22 MB·English

by  Jack Salzman

SSTTRRUUGGGGLLEESS
in the PPRROOMMIISSEEDD LLAANNDD
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STRUGGLES
in the PROMISED LAND
Toward a History of Black—Jewish Relations
in the United States
Edited by
JACK SALZMAN & CORNEL WEST
New York II Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1997
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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Copyright © 1997 by Jack Salxman and Cornel West
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark oi Oxford University Press
Al! rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Struggles in the promised land ;
toward a history of Black-Jewish relations in the United States/
edited by Jack Sal/man and Cornel West.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-508828-X.
L. Afro-Americans—Relations with Jews.
I. Salzman, Jack. II. West, Cornel.
T<185.61.S915 1997
305.896'073—dc21 96-45386
Since this page cannot accommodate the credits,
pages v-vi constitute an extension of the copyright page.
1357 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
credits
"Struggles in the Promised Land," Copyright © 1997 by Jack Salzman.
"The Curse of Ham: A Case of Rabbinic Racism," Copyright © 1997 by David
M. Goldenberg.
"The Medieval Background," Copyright © 1997 by William Chester Jordan.
"Jews in the Slave Trade," Copyright © 1997 by David Brion Davis.
"The Law of the Land is the Law: Antebellum Jews, Slavery, and the Old South,"
Copyright © 1997 by Jason H. Silverman.
"Between Words and Deeds: Jews and Blacks in America, 1880—1935," Copyright
© 1997 by Hasia R. Diner.
"Blacks and Jews: The Struggle in the Cities," Copyright © 1997 by Jonathan
Kaufman.
"Long-Distance Runners of the Civil Rights Movement: The Contribution of Jews
to the NAACP and the National Urban League in the Early 20th Century,"
Copyright © 1997 by Nancy J. Weiss.
"Negotiating Coalition: Black and Jewish Civil Rights Agencies in the Twentieth
Century," Copyright © 1997 by Cheryl Greenberg.
"Black-Jewish Universalism in the Era of Identity Politics," Copyright © 1997 by
Clay borne Carson.
"Allies of a Different Sort: Jews & Blacks in the American Left," Copyright ©
1997 by Paul Buhle and Robin D.G. Kelley.
"The Need to Remember: Three Phases in Black and Jewish Educational
Relations," Copyright © 1997 by Earl Lewis.
"African Americans and Jews in Hollywood: Antagonistic Allies," Copyright ©
1997 by Thomas Cripps.
"Separate Paths: Blacks and Jews in the 20th Century South," Copyright © 1997
by Deborah Dash Moore.
"Affirmative Action: Jewish Ideals, Jewish Interests: The Evolution of a Jewish
Communal Stance," Copyright © 1997 by Jerome A. Chanes.
"Affirmative Action: African-American and Jewish Perspectives," Copyright ©
1997 by Theodore M. Shaw.
vi // CREDITS
'"Nation Time!' Black Nationalism, The Third World, and Jews," Copyright ©
1997 by Waldo E. Martin, Jr.
"African Americans and Israel," Copyright © 1997 by Gary E. Rubin.
"On Imagining Foes, Imagining Friendship" Copyright © 1997 by Patricia J.
Williams.
"Blacks, Jews and Gender: The History, Politics, and Cultural Anthropology of a
Women's Dialogue Group," Copyright © 1997 by Letty Cottin Pogrebin.
"Blacks and Jews: A Personal Reflection," Copyright © 1997 by Michael Walzer.
"Walking the Tightrope: Some Personal Reflections on Blacks and Jews,"
Copyright © 1997 by Cornel West.
contents
Introduction
JACK SALZMAN I
1 The Curse of Ham: A Case of Rabbinic Racism?
DAVID M. GOLDENBERG 21
2 The Medieval Background
WILLIAM CHESTER JORDAN 53
3 Jews in the Slave Trade
DAVID BRION DAVIS 65
4 "The Law of the Land is the Law":
Antebellum Jews, Slavery, and the Old South
JASON H. SILVERMAN 73
5 Between Words and Deeds:
Jews and Blacks in America, 1880-1935
HASIA R. DINER 87
6 Blacks and Jews: The Struggle in the Cities
JONATHAN KAUFMAN 107
7 Long-Distance Runners of the Civil Rights Movement:
The Contribution of Jews to the NAACPand the National
Urban League in the Early Twentieth Century
NANCY J. WEISS 123
8 Negotiating Coalition: Black and Jewish Civil Rights
Agencies in the Twentieth Century
CHERYL GREENBERG 153
9 Black-Jewish Universalism in the Era
of Identity Politics
CLAYBORNE CARSON 177
10 Allies of a Different Sort: Jews and Blacks
in the American Left
PAUL BUHLE AND ROBIN D. G. KELLEY 197
viii // CONTENTS
11 The Need to Remember: Three Phases in Black
and Jewish Educational Relations
EARL LEWIS 231
12 African Americans and Jews in Hollywood:
Antagonistic Allies
THOMAS CRIPPS 257
13 Separate Paths: Blacks and Jews in the
Twentieth-Century South
DEBORAH DASH MOORE 275
14 Affirmative Action: Jewish Ideals, Jewish Interests
JEROME A. CHANES 295
15 Affirmative Action: African-American
and Jewish Perspectives
THEODORE M. SHAW 323
16 "Nation Time!": Black Nationalism,
The Third World, and Jews
WALDO E. MARTIN, JR. 341
17 African Americans and Israel
GARY E. RUBIN 357
18 On Imagining Foes, Imagining Friendship
PATRICIA J.WILLIAMS 371
19 Blacks, Jews, and Gender: The History, Politics, and
Cultural Anthropology of a Women's Dialogue Group
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN 385
20 Blacks and Jews: A Personal Reflection
MICHAEL WALZER 401
21 Walking the Tightrope: Some Personal Reflections
on Blacks and Jews
CORNEL WEST 411
Notes on Contributors 417
Selected Readings 421
Index 423
STRUGGLES
in the PROMISED LAND