More than six decades after Rabbi Joachim Prinz, then president of the American Jewish Congress, stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the historic 1963 March on Washington, the organization’s current president, Daniel Rosen, called for a renewed alliance between black and Jewish Americans.
Addressing 500 African American pastors in Jerusalem on Monday evening, Rosen reflected on the historic partnership between the communities and the need to renew it through concrete action.
“We rightly celebrate the historic relationship between Black and Jewish Americans. But those relationships were not built simply through speeches and declarations. They were built by people who showed up for one another,” Rosen said.
A legacy of solidarity
Recalling the 1963 March on Washington, where Prinz addressed the crowd shortly before King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, Rosen quoted his predecessor’s warning: “The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.”
He also recalled the American Jewish Congress’s longstanding involvement in the civil rights movement, including its support for racial equality and voting rights.
Referring to the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, Rosen recalled the questions many Jews began asking: “Who will stand with us? Who will speak when it would be easier to remain silent? Who will be our friends when friendship comes with a cost?”
Thanking the pastors who stood with Jewish communities, he emphasized that solidarity must be mutual.
“Just as you have stood with the Jewish community in difficult times, we must be there for you,” he said.
Building new partnerships
During the gathering, Rosen announced “The Next Chapter,” a new initiative under the American Jewish Congress’s AJCatalyst social impact incubator, aimed at strengthening black-Jewish relations through jointly led community projects.
“Every project must be led together. A Black leader and a Jewish leader, side by side,” he declared.
Rosen also made a personal commitment to encourage Jewish and black families to build relationships beyond formal gatherings, including opening their homes to one another.
“I will open my own dining room, and I hope you’ll do the same,” he told the pastors, expressing hope that future gatherings would focus not merely on speeches but on the friendships and partnerships they had fostered.
The pastors are visiting Israel as part of an “Unfinished Business” pilgrimage inspired by King’s planned 1967 visit to the Holy Land, which he never completed.
Rosen is in Israel for the American Jewish Congress’s 35th International Mayors Conference, bringing approximately 30 mayors and local leaders from around the world to explore opportunities for cooperation, innovation and international partnerships.
