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African American-Jewish leadership conference works to improve leadership

665 views · Published 8 November 2018 · 2:14 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2018 · News & Politics

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CINCINNATI (WKRC)- Dozens of people from around the country are in Cincinnati this weekend learning the history of black-Jewish relations in America.

Russell Davis, from Chicago, knows African-American and Jewish people have a lot of similarities but realizes there are also a great deal of differences.

"I think we have a lot of similarities but also a lot of differences as well," Davis said. "We can use those similarities to bring us to the table and talk through the differences but also how we can support each other. How we can love each other and how we can come with a united front to help others."

The conference, being held at Hebrew Union College and the American Jewish Archives, has been planned for months but a week beforehand, the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history happened at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

"It was a very stark reminder of why it's important for things like this to happen," Dr. David Jackson, from Atlanta, said. "When I think about Martin Luther King and Rabbi [Abraham Joshua] Heschel's partnership during the civil rights movement, it reminds me that there's so much that could potentially divide us, but in times like this we need to focus on what unites us. We need to focus on our commonalities, not the differences. And so, even though I am not Jewish, my heart hurt for those who were."

That's one thing Dr. Gary Zola, with Hebrew Union College, hopes these students take away from the weekend.

"Not just lock our vision into who we are and what's important to us and to our party, and to our view on things but to begin to open our eyes to a greater world and the other people with whom we live," Zola said.

Zola hopes these young leaders can have a ripple effect in their communities to spread peace and love.

"It's our job as leaders to share the things that we were taught to have a ripple effect or a megaphone effect rather, so that we can teach people that it's okay to love people who are not like you, to walk with people who are not like you and to not only support your own cause for your own race or your own community but to go out and see what other communities and what other races also need your help," Moriah Ballard, from Houston, said.

Zola says the world will be a better place if we all practiced the golden rule.

"What is hateful to you, don't do to your brother or sister," Zola said.

The students will also make a trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center where they will hear from local civil rights leader Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr.

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