The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) last week called on elected officials and leaders in the African American community to condemn the linkage of the Black Lives Matter movement to the anti-Semitic BDS movement, after protestors chanted anti-Israel and anti-Semitic phrases at a march that took place this week in Washington, DC.
The event, which was held in connection with a “Day of Rage” that was called for by the Palestinian Authority to protest Israel’s desire to extend sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, saw protestors carrying Black Lives Matter and Palestinian Liberation Organization signs side by side, as they said, “Israel, we know you, you murder children, too.” Cries of “Black lives matter!” and “Palestinian lives matter!” were heard, and many attendees loudly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“While we absolutely agree that the issue of race in America is something that must be duly addressed on a national level, it is sickening to see that the Black Lives Matter movement has been co-opted by people who wear their anti-Semitic beliefs on their sleeves,” said NCYI President Farley Weiss. “Whether it is yelling anti-Semitic comments during a march in our nation’s capital or vandalizing and defacing synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses in Los Angeles with anti-Semitic messages during a protest, these blatant expressions of bigotry are intolerable and must end. By poisoning protests with anti-Israel declarations and anti-Semitic remarks, some of the individuals who so desperately seek justice and an end to racism are themselves engaging in abhorrent and hypocritical behavior that fans the flames of bigotry and hate.”
“Ever since it issued a platform in 2016 that described Israel as an ‘apartheid state’ that commits ‘genocide,’ the Black Lives Matter movement has regrettably become intertwined with anti-Semitic tendencies, which detracts from their underlying mission,” Weiss added. “We call on elected officials from both parties, including our presidential candidates, as well as leaders in the African American community, to publicly denounce the anti-Semitism being spewed by individuals who are operating under the guise of the Black Lives Matter movement. It needs to be made abundantly clear that hate of any kind has no place in our society, whether it is race-based prejudice or anti-Semitism.”