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The PBS series ‘Black and Jewish America’ gets it right — except the Black and Jewish part

JL;DR SUMMARY Robin Washington critiques the PBS series "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History," for its failure to adequately represent Jews of Color, despite its initial promise. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryCultural RepresentationCivil Rights MovementHenry Louis Gates Jr.Sammy Davis Jr.Black JewsJews Of ColorBlack Jewish RelationsPbs SeriesInterwoven History

Places mentioned

Connecticut, United States
"Someone who has lived in both of those spaces all his life is University of Connecticut philosophy professor Lewis Gordon, who describes the binary as endemic in academia."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"To be sure, there are other Black Jews in the programs interview rooms, including Rabbi Capers Funnye of Chicagos Beth Shalom Bnai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation."
Merriam, Kansas, United States
"A lesser-known story the series does allow room to breathe is that of the other Brown v. Board of Education: Esther Brown, a Jewish housewife in Merriam, Kansas, whose successful school-desegregation efforts in partnership with African American parents helped lay the groundwork for the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case named, as it happens, for a different Brown."
New York, United States
"A particular flare-up is highlighted in New Yorks Ocean HillBrownsville school dispute between largely Jewish teachers and Black parents."
Jerusalem, Israel
"That may be, but thats like saying Jerusalem is claimed by both Jews and Palestinians; lets talk about Tokyo instead."
Tokyo, Japan
"That may be, but thats like saying Jerusalem is claimed by both Jews and Palestinians; lets talk about Tokyo instead."

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Cairo Item ID 74951
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Retrieved 2026-02-10 05:31:06 UTC
Curated 2026-02-10 08:31:21 UTC