Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Reparations

Reconstructing Judaism Movement Votes to Support Reparations to BIPOC Communities That Suffered Due To American Colonization

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Co-Written by Etta Heisler and Gillian Jackson

RJ Commissioned work by Ayeola Omolara Kaplan
“Reparations in Pursuit of Repairing the World“

“If a fellow Hebrew, man or woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall set him free. When you set him free, do not let him go empty-handed: Furnish him out of the flock, threshing floor, and vat, with which the Lord your God has blessed you. Bear in mind that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I enjoin this commandment upon you today.” Deuteronomy 15:12-18

Generational trauma and persecution is a theme in Jewish liturgy and culture that runs deep in the roots of our cultural identity. As long as the Jews have been in diaspora, there have been lessons passed down through the generations about preserving our culture and standing up to oppression. There are myriad stories that describe ways various oppressors attempted to marginalize or harm the Jewish people and we survived (i.e. Purim, Hanukkah, Passover to name a few). It stands to reason that Jewish institutions are increasingly sensitive to the generational trauma inflicted on People of Color in the United States. At the same time, generations of white Jews have largely benefitted from the economic, legal, and social systems founded upon both the enslavement of Africans and Black folks, and on the genocide of indigenous people in the United States. Predominantly white Jewish institutions have often perpetuated biases against BIPOC community members – Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Reconciling with this narrative in which we are the oppressors and the oppressed is the work of B’tzelem Elohim, Teshuvah, Tzedek, and Tikkun Olam. All people are created in the image of God and it is our job as Jews to create a world where everyone is treated as such.

In acknowledgement of this shared responsibility for those facing enslavement and disenfranchisement in our country, the Reconstructing Judaism movement has written and passed a Resolution on Reparations. The reparations resolution commits the Reconstructionist movement to a series of advocacy measures that will aid in building momentum for nationwide reparations. The beginning of the resolution acknowledges that people of European ancestry have benefited from black oppression and enslavement. It adds that other BIPOC populations have been affected by white nationalism throughout US history. The resolution then promises to acknowledge and support BIPOC led initiatives that address racism. It lays intentions to educate members or Reconstructionist Congregations on this issue. Finally the resolution commits to supporting House Bill 40, a bill that funds research into how the US can make reparations to the descendants of black slaves. 

In further discussion of reparations, Reconstructing Judaism states, “Reparations can mean many things. It is policy, theology, a moral obligation, history, and a demand for truth and reconciliation. The National African-American Commission on Reparations (NAACR) defines reparations as, “a process of repairing, healing and restoring a people injured because of their group identity and in violation of their fundamental human rights.” Ta-Nehisi Coates understands reparations as an ethical orientation — “the full acceptance of our collective biography and its consequences.” There is no Hebrew term that fully encompasses the range of meanings that are associated with the English word, reparations. Is it both teshuvah — the Jewish process of public accountability, apology, mending, and returning to right relationship, and tzedek — the ethical demands of material and legal justice.” You can read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ full article on reparations here. 

Before this most recent resolution on reparations, Reconstructing Judaism committed to dozens of anti-racist initiatives that include diversifying the Reconstructionist movement and college, developing improved communications around their anti-racist work, supporting liturgy that teaches about racism and is taught in multiple languages, participating in larger movements, and reviewing internal systems that contribute to biased policy. A wise friend of mine once told me that real social change can be defined by this image: unjust systems will continue to move forward like an airport escalator endlessly cycling forward. It’s not enough to turn around and stand against it, we need to walk the opposite direction and walk fast enough to move the other way. The passage from Deuteronomy seems to acknowledge this idea as well – it is not enough simply to free an enslaved person, one must also give them means to live a fulfilled life. Reparations is one way of “walking down the escalator” in acknowledgment of the centuries of discrimination that have continued since slavery was abolished. Participating in this conversation and activism around anti-racist work is essential to the success of the movement. We should be proud of Reconstructing Judaism’s commitment to this work and have the hard conversations necessary to move it forward. 

Some members of our congregation have begun a conversation about participating in the educational modules provided by Reconstructing Judaism to educate ourselves about the work of reparations and anti-racism. If you would like to participate in planning these events, please email us!

Jewish Views on Reparations

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by Clare Kinberg

May 19th, Erev Shavuot, was an evening of study, cheesecake and blintzes for AARC. There were four study sessions; I hope to do a blog post on each one:

  • Jonas Higbee: “Building a Community Response to Fascism: Lessons from Richard Spencer’s Visit to MSU”
  • Clare Kinberg: “Shavuot4BlackLives: Jewish Views on Reparations”
  • Etta King Heisler: “Belonging in America:  What is Belonging and How Does it Broaden, Limit, Deepen, or Otherwise Define Our Community?”
  • Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner:  “A Long and ‘Twisted’ Relationship: Us, God, and…Challah?”

First up, my session on “Jewish Views on Reparations.” My impetus for the session was “Shilumim,” the shavuot4blacklives study guide put together by Graie Barasch-Hagans, Koach Baruch Frasier and Mackenzie Zev Reynolds and distributed by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ).

Shilumim is the Hebrew word meaning ‘reparations;’ ‘Leshalem’ is ‘to pay’ from the same root as ‘shalem,’ to make whole. The concept of the study guide is to extend the theme of Shavuot, which Jews begin to count down to on the second night of Passover, the beginning of our liberation, and which traditionally ends with the revelation at Mt Sinai, the receiving of the Torah seven weeks later. Graie, KB and Mackenzie suggest we extend this trajectory another several weeks to end on Juneteenth (June 19) with a focus on what is needed to fulfill liberation. That is, reparations.

Shavuot4blacklives introduces the study by reminding us when the Vision For Black Lives Platform was released in 2016, many members of the Jewish community had strong reactions to the way that Israel was characterized in the document, particularly the use of the word “genocide” in connection to the Palestinian people. At the same time, “Jews of Color in our community called on all of us to remain committed to the Movement For Black Lives, to racial justice, and by extension, to Black Jews no matter what.” They offer this study guide on the reparations sections of the Platform as one way to do that.

The Israelites despoiling the Egyptians. Image from f. 13 of the ‘Golden Haggadah.” 1325–1349

Our discussion was framed using Aryeh Bernstein’s essay, “The Torah Case for Reparations,” in which he draws on many places in Torah to conclude “Jews must support reparations in principle, because we took reparations for our slave labor, we were commanded by God to do so, and we were promised these reparations in the earliest Divine plan for our liberation.” The Bernstein article, a long, worthwhile read (with lots of excellent links) is a specifically Jewish follow-up to Ta-Nehisi Coates 2014 Atlantic essay, “The Case for Reparations.”

As Bernstein’s essay based itself on Torah, Rabbi Sharon Brous’ LA Times Opinion piece, “Why Jews Should Support Reparations for Slavery,” is based on a rabbinic dispute in the Mishna:

Gittin 55a:12

§ The mishna teaches that Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Gudgeda further testified about a stolen beam that was already built into a building and said that the injured party receives the value of the beam but not the beam itself. With regard to this, the Sages taught in a baraita (Tosefta, Bava Kamma 10:5): If one robbed another of a beam and built it into a building, Beit Shammai say: He must destroy the entire building and return the beam to its owners. And Beit Hillel say: The injured party receives only the value of the beam but not the beam itself, due to an ordinance instituted for the sake of the penitent. In order to encourage repentance, the Sages were lenient and required the robber to return only the value of the beam. The mishna was taught in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel

I included in our discussion packet two pieces on Affirmative Action that have relevance to our current moment, a moment in which political concord among representatives of Black and Jewish communities is needed, yet is unfortunately characterized by significant discord.

One recent example of the discord: When Starbucks announced that they were closing for an afternoon (Tuesday, May 29) to do a company-wide training on racial bias, they initially included the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a consultant on the training. The inclusion of the ADL was immediately met with push-back from some Black activists, which, in turn, was met by dismay from many Jews who think of the ADL as an outstanding leader of anti-bias education. Contemporary Black activists cite the ADL’s frequent coordination with law enforcement and the ADL’s support for U.S. police being trained on crowd-control and counter-terrorism in Israel.

I brought into our Shavuot  discussion my own perspective which relates back to the 1970s when, to my dismay, the ADL argued against Affirmative Action programs, then among the chief policy proposals advocated by African American organizations. The ADL had determined that Affirmative Action was not good for the Jews. Our Ann Arbor community should be interested in the history revealed in this 2003 article “Jews temper views on affirmative action”:

“In the Supreme Court’s landmark 1978 decision against affirmative action in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Jewish groups lined up in vocal opposition to affirmative programs. In that decision, the court banned quotas but allowed racial criteria to be used in admissions decisions. This time around [2003], their positions are more muted, as well as more diverse. Only the Anti-Defamation League, one of the then-staunchest leaders of the national fight against affirmative action, has filed a brief opposing Michigan’s program.”

I included the 2017 article “Affirmative Action as Reparations” to make the link between the current arguments for reparations and the original thinking behind Affirmative Action.

Menachem Begin protesting against the Reparations from Germany Agreement in March 1952. The sign reads: “Our honor shall not be sold for money. Our blood shall not be atoned by goods. We shall wipe out the disgrace!”

Finally, I included the Yad Vashem Shoah Research Center document on “Reparations and Restitutions,” which, to the surprise of most of us at the table, begins by saying, ‘From 1953-1965, West Germany paid the State of Israel, Jewish survivors, and German refugees hundreds of millions of dollars in a symbolic attempt to make up for the crimes committed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.” The early growth if Israel’s economy was made possible by this money, yet it caused deep division among Jews.

There is a lot of information in this blog, and I hope much food for thought. The comments are open below for any who want to continue this discussion here.