By Michael Regenstreif
Nothing was published yesterday –
June 2, 2020 – on the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin website and the only thing posted
on our Facebook and Twitter accounts was an empty black box with the hashtag
#BlackOutTuesday.
The Bulletin – along with the
Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation, the Ottawa
Jewish Archives, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and many other
organizations and individuals – was participating in a day of solidarity,
reflection and symbolic protest against racism in the wake of the murder of
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, by white police officers in
Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25; a murder that was captured by multiple
bystanders on video.
Floyd had been arrested for
allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill in a convenience store and, as shown on
video, was in handcuffs and lying face down on the ground when a veteran police
officer – who was fired and later charged with third degree murder and
manslaughter – knelt on Floyd’s neck with his full weight on the knee and
maintained the pressure for almost nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and
repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe. A brutal scene to see. The officer
continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck for about three minutes after he lost
consciousness. Meanwhile, two other Minneapolis police officers knelt on lower
parts of Floyd’s body as a third officer stood by. Those three other policemen
were also fired but are yet to be charged in the case.
Floyd was just the latest of many
persons of colour who have died unjustly at the hands of police over the years
in the United States (and we Canadians must not be complacent about this as it
has also happened here too many times) but his death sparked protests around
the United States the extent of which have not been seen since the
assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. As I write, more
than week after Floyd’s murder, the protests continue. And while the
overwhelming majority of protesters have been peaceful, regretfully, some of
the protests, particularly under the cover of darkness, have also been coopted
by destructive looters and violent provocateurs whose actions have been
counterproductive to the noble intentions of those demanding an end to police
brutality and racial oppression.
After the horror of seeing the
Floyd murder videos on television, I saw a selfie posted by my friend Vance
Gilbert to his Facebook page that affected me deeply.
Vance, who lives in the Boston area, is an African American singer and songwriter and one of the cleverest and most entertaining stage performers I know. He’s been here in Ottawa a couple of times over the years to play at the folk festival. This is the caption to the photo that Vance posted on Facebook on May 27:
Friend:
“Cool mask!”
Me:“Stoppin’ droplets, baby! I love airplanes so
I’m stylin’. I’m over 60, so I’m in a high-risk group.”
Friend: “What’s that around your neck?”
Me: “It’s a knee brace.”
Friend: “Whaaa..?”
Me: “Protects my neck from knees. I’m in that
*other* high-risk group.”
Vance was brilliantly using
humour and satire to make a point.
“Don’t know
whether to laugh or cry at the knee brace,” I wrote to him in the Facebook
comments. “I guess I can laugh at how clever it is but cry over the truth that
it tells.”
The murder of
George Floyd has focussed attention on the deeply rooted racism in American
society. And although much progress has been made over the years, the past few
years have seen regression under a U.S. president whose modus operandi has been
to stoke division, to sew a politics of resentment and who has, on too many
occasions, employed both veiled and not-so-veiled racist rhetoric. I cannot
forget that in 2017, when Colin Kaepernick and some other Black football players
were protesting police brutality against African Americans by quietly and
respectfully kneeling during pre-game singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” this
American president said they should be kicked out of the country.
I recall the
Civil Rights Movement adage that “freedom is a constant struggle” and I am
gratified to see that our Jewish community in North America – from major and
grassroots organizations to the full spectrum of denominations – is acting in
solidarity with the African American community. Here is a small sampling of
statements from Jewish organizations:
“This week has reminded us yet
again that we have a long way to go in our work towards a more just society for
all. We will not stop fighting for a world free of racism and bigotry in all of
its forms,” said a tweet released by The Jewish Federations of North America.
“Anti-Black
racism is a scourge to which we are not immune in Canada. We stand with our
friends in the Black community, to whom we say: with great anger & broken hearts,
we denounce this hate, we recommit to working with you to combat &
eliminate it,” said a tweet from CIJA, the advocacy agent for Jewish
federations in Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.
“Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a political
issue. It is a real and present danger that must be met head on. … We call on
all … to unite in the pursuit of justice and brotherly love and respect,
regardless of race, creed or color. In this encounter, let us all seek greater
understanding amongst our fellow men and women – all of whom are created in the
image of God. Let us work in partnership toward eradicating all forms of
bigotry and racism,” said a statement from the Orthodox Union.
“United in purpose, we will
dismantle the systemic racism all too embedded still within American law
enforcement and its justice system. The firing and we hope prosecution of the
four Minneapolis police officers involved in this one egregious murder is a
necessary step, but it cannot be the only action against structural injustices
that have plagued generations and continue to this day. We must forever strive
for a free and just society for all people,” said a statement released by The
Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement.
“The national rage expressed
about the murder of Mr. Floyd reflects the depth of pain over the
injustice that People of Color – and particularly Black men –
have been subjected to throughout the generations. In recent
months we have seen, yet again, too many devastating examples of persistent
systemic racism, leading to the deaths not only of Mr. Floyd but of other
precious souls, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery,” said
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism.
“We remember others before
them: Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Sandra Bland. Oscar Grant.
Philando Castile. Walter Scott. Terrence Crutcher. Samuel Dubose. Michael
Brown. The list feels endless, and so too is our despair. But as we
recite the Mourner’s Kaddish for them all, we say now, again: We will
not sit idly by. Our country simply cannot achieve the values of
‘justice for all’ to which it aspires until we address ongoing racism in all
sectors and at all levels of society. We remain in
solidarity and action with the NAACP’s urgent #WeAreDoneDying
campaign, whose policy demands cover areas of criminal justice, economic
justice, health care, and voting, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues
to disproportionately impact Black Americans,” added Rabbi Pesner.
“We must dismantle white
supremacy now if we are to have any chance at building a more just and
equitable world for all people. For all people – because we are committed to
the core Jewish value that all people are created betzelem elokim
– in the image of the divine – and are therefore equally deserving of
full human dignity and safety. But also, specifically for our people – the Jews
of Color within the Reconstructionist movement and beyond who face the
oppression, pain, and fear of living under white supremacy every day. We
must redouble our efforts to ensure that our Jewish communities provide a safe,
supportive, loving and empowering haven for all of us, most especially Jews of
Color,” said a statement posted by Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical Association.
From talking with Black friends over the years I am well aware that their reality differs from mine in many ways. And while many other African Americans have died unnecessarily and disproportionately at the hands of law enforcement officials, the murder of George Floyd during a pandemic that has brought death and economic hardship to so many seems to be a turning point. It is up to all of us to ensure that our societies and communities rise to the challenge epitomized in the principles of tikkun olam to repair our world. We cannot and must not be silent or indifferent.
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