16 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2019
T
he Congressional
Caucus for Black and
Jewish Relations held
its kickoff reception on Capitol
Hill in Washington D.C.,
last month, hosted by the
American Jewish Committee
and attended
by a bipartisan
team of leading
lawmakers and
supporters.
The group,
the first Black
and Jewish
caucus in the
U.S. Congress, is co-chaired
by Rep. Brenda Lawrence,
D-Mich., Rep. Debbie
Wasserman-Shultz, D-Fla.,
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Rep.
Lee Zelden, R-N.Y., and Rep.
Will Hurd, R-Texas. The cau-
cus seeks to raise awareness
of each community’
s needs as
well as to initiate measures to
combat hate and stereotypes.
“White supremacy is
alive and well,
” declared
Wasserman-Shultz, warning
the crowd that hate crimes
against blacks and Jews have
spiked in recent years and
that the need for the caucus is
imperative.
Lawmakers spoke of
the current disunity in
Washington, D.C., but noted
that support for the caucus is
widespread and undisputed.
The speakers recalled the
historical roots of the two
communities uniting during
the civil rights movement.
Rep. Elliot Engel said this cau-
cus “comes at a critical time,
and it is incumbent on both of
our communities to act now.
”
The full executive com-
mittee of the local Detroit
group, the Coalition for Black
and Jewish Unity, attended
the event. The coalition, a
partnership between the
Jewish Community Relations
Council/AJC and the Council
of Baptist Pastors of Detroit
and Vicinity, shares similar
goals as the Congressional
Caucus.
Coalition Executive Board
member Hazzan Dan Gross,
along with Dr. Pauline
Plummer, an accomplished
pastor and singer, capped
off the evening by leading
the group in an emotional,
arm-clinging rendition of the
civil rights ballad “We Shall
Overcome.
”
In what was possibly a first
on Capitol Hill, Gross sang
the first verse of the song in
Hebrew. It was an extraor-
dinarily moving and unfor-
gettable display of solidarity
for two communities who
now have re-committed to
each other through this new
Congressional Caucus.
Mark Jacobs is co-director of the
Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity.
Mark Jacobs
Contributing
Writer
Jews in the D
Blacks & Jews Unite
COURTESY OF LINDA JACOBS
Congressional Caucus for Black and
Jewish Relations held its kickoff event.
Local Coalition for
Black and Jewish Unity
Executive Committee
members Hazzan Dan
Gross, Mark Jacobs,
Rabbi Marla Hornsten,
Pastor Samuel Stephens,
U.S. Reps. Brenda
Lawrence and Andy
Levin, Dr. Pauline
Plummer and Executive
Committee members Rev.
Glenn Plummer and Rev.
Kenneth Flowers
Registration:
November
13
-
December
20
mitzvahdaydetroit201
9.
eventbrite.
com
Questions?
Call 248-642-2649 or
email slippitt@jfmd.
org
Wednesday
December
25
Together we will celebrate the
strength of our community.
Participate in a
volunteer service
project of your
choice at one of
many locations
in metro Detroit.