LAS VEGAS, NV — The Maccabee Task Force (MTF), a leading organization combating campus antisemitism, hosted 100 black college students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) at its first-ever Black Student Leaders Summit. Held from October 1st-3rd in Atlanta, GA, the summit featured presentations from student activists, diplomats, and community leaders on developing the Black-Jewish alliance.
“With racism and antisemitism evolving and growing in the 21st century, the time for rebuilding the Black-Jewish coalition is now,” said David Brog, Executive Director of MTF. “The Black Student Leaders Summit is the spark that will reignite the flame of a once unstoppable alliance against hate.”
Participants explored the historic relationship between the Black and Jewish communities and learned about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Over the course of two days of educational sessions and workshops, students discussed how to reinvigorate the alliance once championed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
“Thank you to Maccabee Task Force for putting on this Black Student Leaders Summit and helping me to reaffirm my commitment to ensuring that Jews have allies and that Israel is protected,” said an MTF Black Student Leaders Summit attendee.
Featured speakers included Darius Jones, Founder and Executive Director of the National Black Empowerment Council, MTF coalitions coordinator Marvel Joseph, and United Arab Emirates best-selling author and entrepreneur Omar Al-Busaidy.
“We’re here during a time when we need to rekindle a friendship, a friendship and a partnership that’s obviously beneficial for both of us. Both the Black community and the Jewish community,” Joseph told the crowd. “While racism is a major problem the United States, racism is a cousin, if not a brother at this point, of antisemitism. Wherever there is hate of one community, there is hate of another.”
“HBCUs are at the heart of Black communities across the country, and MTF is honored to have hosted such exceptional student leaders from these esteemed institutions,” said Brog. “We’ve allowed distance and suspicion to separate our communities. But as the evils of racism and antisemitism continue to target us, we cannot afford this alienation. We need to rebuild our alliance and stand together against hate, and we need to do so now.”
MFT plans to host the summit annually, conduct leadership trips to Israel for its top students, and organize campus activities to bring the message of the summit directly to HBCU campuses.
About MTF: The Maccabee Task Force was created in 2015 to combat the disturbing spread of anti-Semitism on America’s college campuses. We believe the BDS movement is at the forefront of this troubling trend. We maintain that BDS is an anti-Semitic movement that crosses the line from legitimate criticism of Israel into the dangerous demonization of Israel and its supporters. We are determined to help students combat this hate by bringing them the strategies and resources they need to tell the truth about Israel. These attacks on Israel and its supporters won’t be going away any time soon. Neither will we.
To view photos from the summit, click here. (Photo credit: Christopher François)
To watch the summit recap video, click here
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