Bay Area Jews in Solidarity with Black Lives
Statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council:
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund (the Federation) strongly condemn the murder of George Floyd, the most recent in a string of similar violent incidents against people of color requiring redress. We mourn the loss of George Floyd’s life, and extend our love and support to his family and friends. We call for peaceful protests to honor him and to support the voices of the black community. The events of the last few days have shone a spotlight on widespread racist violence that denigrates us all, and we cannot continue with business as usual.
We stand in solidarity with the black community and their and our right to protest, and acknowledge the long-standing structural injustices that plague too much of our society, including our criminal justice system. We, as the Jewish community, pledge to work with civic, faith and political leaders to continue addressing racism and injustice in all forms.
Our historic communal experiences with forms of systemic oppression, leveled against us as antisemitism, require us to stand up against racism and bigotry in all its forms. Many in our community also benefit from white privilege and must use it to make change. For this reason, our Jewish journey towards inclusion must lift up the voices of the many, many Jews of Color who have been marginalized within the Jewish community and by the broader society. We must use our Jewish values such as loving kindness (chesed), justice (tzedek), and repairing the world (tikkun olam) as a guide to take action.
Read JCRC’s full statement and get a downloadable placard so that YOU can add your voice & knee.
