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Black Anti-Semitism
Limited, Says Study
New York (JTA) — The
popular perception that anti-
Semitism among black
Americans is widespread
may be unfounded, accor-
ding to a new study of the at-
titudes of black churchgoers.
In a soon-to-be-published
book, entitled Black Protes-
tantism and Anti Semitism,
Rev. Hubert Locke, professor
of sociology at the Univer-
sity of Washington, studies
the prevalent views of a
sample group of religious
blacks living in three
American cities.
He gave a preview of his
findings at a recent forum
here on "The Future of the
Jewish Past: The Jewish
People in a Post- Holocaust
World," sponsored by the
American Friends of Hebrew
University.
"If one steps back from the
volatile, localized conflicts
that have marred black-
Jewish relations in a few
cities, there is strong
evidence to suggest that the
claim of anti-Semitism as a
prevalent attitude among
black Americans is greatly
overdrawn," Locke told the
approximately 250 people in
attendance.
Locke admitted there in-
deed had been a
"deterioration in attitudes
and interactions" between
Jews and blacks in the late
1960s, particularly after the
assassination of Martin
Luther King, Jr.
He said stumbling blocks
to black-Jewish harmony in-
cluded battles over such con-
tentious issues as affir-
mative action and the
emergence of the black con-
sciousness movement.
But he said that the sour-
ing of relations was primari-
ly at the level of leadership
and that it occurred in
specific urban locales.
"These qualifications are
important," said Locke, "for
while, a generation later,
they came to be generalized
as a characteristic of black-
Jewish relations across the
nation, very few studies
sought to assess what, in
fact, were the attitudes of
black citizens toward Jewish
people as a general proposi-
tion."
In an attempt to fill the
perceived vacuum, Locke,
under a grant from the Vidal
Sassoon International
Center for the Study of Anti-
Semitism, undertook a study
in 1987 of the attitudes of
black Protestant chur-
chgoers toward Jewish
-
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12
FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1990
Americans in St. Louis,
Seattle and Buffalo, N.Y.,
cities considered neutral in
the black-Jewish conflict.
In the study, Locke asked
respondents to evaluate
various statements about
Jews on a six-point scale,
with 1 being strongest dis-
approval and 6 being
strongest approval. The re-
sponses to the statements
were as follows:
• "A major fault of the
Jews is their conceit,
overbearing pride and their
idea that they are the chosen
race" received a rating of
2.3, indicating moderate
disapproval.
• "The true Christian can
never forgive the Jews for
their crucifixion of Christ'
received a strong disap-
proval rating of 1.8.
• "Jews should stop com-
plaining about the Holo-
caust," got a 2.6 disapproval
rating.
• "Jews are more willing
to combat discrimination,"
got a 3.6 approval rating.
• "Jews are more helpful
than harmful in the civil
rights struggle," got a 3.4
approval rating.
Locke extrapolates from
the data that the general
black middle-class American
view of Jews is benign.
He did concede, however,
that the attitudes of black
Protestant churchgoers is
only one of several profiles of
black America, suggesting
that a sample of younger
black respondents would
have responded differently.
Pamyat Probe
Is Welcomed
New York (JTA) — Ameri-
can Jewish groups have
welcomed reports that the
chief prosecutor in Moscow
has initiated criminal in-
vestigations into the anti-
Semitic actions of the
ultranationalist group
Pamyat.
The action follows a deluge
of anti-Semitic threats and
actions that have paralyzed
Soviet Jews with fear.
The Soviet news agency
Tass quoted the popular
newspaper Literaturnaya
Gazeta Feb. 21 as reporting
that the Moscow pros-
ecutor's office had launched
criminal proceedings
against Pamyat, "which is
charged with inciting na-
tional and racial hatred and
strife."