American Jews were heavily involved with black leaders in founding and supporting the NAACP and the National Urban League in the early part of the 20th century, CNN commentator Van Jones told the 500 people who attended the American Friends of Magen David Adom gala in New York City on Tuesday night.
“You would not have this thing you call American democracy if it were not for the courage of blacks and Jews,” he said. “If you like American democracy, thank a black. Thank a Jew.”
Jones, who received the organization’s “legacy of unity” award at the event at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan, warned about rising Jew-hatred and the danger of turning black and Jewish communities against one another.
“Jew-hatred is poison that’s being put into my community,” he told attendees. “I’m trying to fight for my community, to not get tricked into turning against the only friend that we’ve ever had.”
After he started wearing a blue square pin to call attention to Jew-hatred and a yellow ribbon in support of the Israeli hostages, Jones had people approach and tell him their experiences with antisemitism, he told the audience.
A mother told him that her daughter changed her name on her Uber profile because she feared being identified as Jewish, and he heard from a Jewish college student who was afraid to leave his dorm because of harassment. A rabbi also told him about redirecting communal resources from charitable programs to security.
He told the audience that he is concerned about younger people, who are being influenced by messages that encourage hostility toward Israel and Jews.
“I’m not worried about Jews,” he said at the event. “You survived everything. I’m worried about everybody else, who’s being tricked into attacking the most inspirational story in human history.”
Aaron Dahan, founder of Caffè Aronne, was also honored at the gala. After Oct. 7, Dahan’s New York City eatery became a gathering place for Zionists and Jews.
Dahan told JNS that he displayed posters of Israeli hostages in the cafe’s windows after Oct. 7. Some employees objected, and 30 days after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, nearly his entire staff quit.
That same day, customers lined up around the block to show support.
“It was very heartwarming,” he told JNS. “It was a very, very special moment.”
The supportive response helped the business operate. Customers waited to buy coffee, as volunteers and Israelis who had come to New York helped fill the staffing gaps, he said.
“Getting online and waiting for 30 minutes to buy a latte is a way to show support,” he told JNS. “The community is really what would allow us to stay open.”
An Israeli barista, whose apartment was destroyed by a rocket, came to New York, and while at John F. Kennedy International Airport, she saw a newspaper story about Dahan’s business. She took a taxi to the cafe and offered to work. She stayed on for 10 months, according to Dahan.
He told JNS that his decision to support Israel isn’t extraordinary.
“I don’t see a world where other people would not have acted the same way,” he said.
JNS asked what he would tell Jewish business owners who are afraid to show their support. Dahan acknowledged that doing so can be hard.
“Jewish people have seen scarier,” he said. “If you have the right message and you have the community behind you, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Jewish actress and singer Tovah Feldshuh, who played Golda Meir in the one-woman Broadway show “Golda’s Balcony” and starred in the Netflix series “Nobody Wants This,” hosted the gala.
“When there’s a terrorist attack, there’s a missile strike, there’s a car accident or there’s a medical emergency anywhere in Israel, it’s the men and the women of Magen David Adom who answer that call,” she told attendees.
“Israel is a miracle,” she said. “Magen David Adom is an organization that makes sure that miracle continues.”
Catherine Reed, CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom, told JNS that donations help ensure that the organization is ready for emergencies. Philanthropists help Magen David Adom train paramedics, maintain ambulances and other vehicles and sustain the blood supply that it needs, she said.
Magen David Adom operates what Reed described as the world’s only underground, shielded blood bank.
The organization also focuses on the emotional and physical well-being of paramedics and emergency medical technicians, who have faced traumatic scenes, including serious accidents, particularly since Oct. 7, she told JNS.
“We have to take care of the people who rush to the front line to save people,” she said. “They’re taking care of all of us. Without them, we wouldn’t have anyone.”
Magen David Adom treats patients regardless of their religion or background, and its ambulance crews include Jews, Muslims and Christians.
“The commitment is we treat everyone who is in need of help,” Reed told JNS.
She described the organization as an example of people from different backgrounds working toward a shared purpose.
“Magen David Adom is one of the best advertisements for the State of Israel,” Reed told JNS. “It’s apolitical. We’re not part of the government, but we work with every government. We are every religion, every ethnic group, every gender.”
“We have a really simple mission that binds everyone together,” she said. “That is that we save lives.”
