As a Jew of Color, I Back Black Lives Matter But Not Its Approach to Israel, Which Erases Jewish Experience
“I have a bias in favour of both Arabs and Jews in the sense that I believe that both … are as capable of making peace as of waging war.”
—Ralph Bunche, 1949
The release of the Black Lives Matters (BLM) platform filled me with anticipation as I read, “Black people have bravely and brilliantly been the driving force pushing the U.S. towards the ideals it articulates but has never achieved.” I expected a platform documenting the grave issues facing Blacks today followed by policy recommendations that diverse partners could support. To my surprise, however, the platform crossed the Atlantic to denounce Israel as an apartheid state committing genocide and advocated for boycotting it.