The relationship between Blacks and Jews in America reflects as much about America as it does about Black and Jews. The interaction between Blacks and Jews long predates the civil rights movement. Jews and Blacks came to America hundreds of years ago, but under totally different circumstances—Blacks as slaves and Jews as needed entrepreneurs and international merchants. Herein lies much of the problem between the two groups. The workshop will explore the Black–Jewish relationship in Harlem, when Blacks and Jews often lived side by side, but again, under very different social and class circumstances. Little known today is the interaction between Jewish Communists in the 1930s and the Black intellectuals and workers they tried to recruit. We will explore the watershed years of the civil rights movement and the rise of Black power, and the climactic tragedy of the Ocean Hill/Brownsville eruption and the Crown Heights race riot. Finally, an outline will be offered for a new and creative relationship between Blacks and Jews in the 21st Century.

The workshop will examine the extraordinary evolution of the Holocaust from silence to centrality in American culture. Questions abound: Why now? Why here in America? Why so compelling for gentiles as well as Jews? And, is all this focus on the Holocaust “good for the Jews”? The workshop will explore the political, social, and artistic background of this issue. Included in the presentation will be scenes from Hollywood films depicting the Holocaust, including “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Pawnbroker,” and “Schindler's List.”

The evolution of the image of Jews on the Hollywood screen, from the silent film era to the very present, offers a comprehensive sociological portrait of the Jewish experience in America. From victimization to unconstrained self mockery, from evasion to confrontation, Jews in Hollywood moved from trepidation about anti- Semitism to extraordinary self-confidence. Key films to be discussed include “The Jazz Singer,” “Gentlemen's Agreement,” “Crossfire,” “The Pawnbroker,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” and “The Way We Were.”

Explore the fascinating but troubled history in America of two extraordinary communities, both “outsiders,” who have, nevertheless, made precious contributions to the development of American democracy and human rights, and to the shaping of cultural life in this country. Tracing the roots of Black and Jewish interaction over the last 400 years, the session will examine both the ongoing conflicts as well as the compelling reasons for future cooperation.