The Historical And Religious Roots Of The Black-jewish Alliance During The 1950s And 1960s

Blacks and Jews are the two most influential minorities in America. Both of them are the earliest races getting into the new land following the European colonists. After several centuries'interaction, the Black-Jewish relationship becomes quite complicated. Conflicts and alliance are entwined with their whole history of relationship. A large number of historical facts shows that, in the whole Black-Jewish relationship, the Civil Rights Movement period is their most and broadest alliance. Then many historians called this period"the Golden Ages"or"the Grand Alliance"in the whole Black-Jewish relationship. In terms of the Black-Jewish relationship of this period, many overseas scholars have done lots of researches. Especially when analyzing the roots of the Black-Jewish alliance during the 1950s and 1960s, some scholars made many contributions to theme from political and economic perspective.This dissertation makes a detailed comparison between Blacks'and Jews'history before the Civil Rights Movement from historical perspective and analyzes the common theological elements between Black Christianity and Judaism from religious perspective. In the historical comparison, the author finds some similar historical experience: enslavement history and encountering some discrimination in American realistic social life. This historical commonness makes them easily identify with each other. In the religious analysis, the author finds that both Black Christianity and Judaism emphasize the Hebrew Bible. Both Blacks and Jews find their own metaphors from the Exodus. Blacks regard themselves as the ancient Israelites who escape from the Egyptian enslavement and America as their"Promised Land". Same as Jews who escape from the Europe, they regard themselves as their ancient ancestors and America also as their"Promised Land". This dissertation also analyzes the theological base of the deep friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel. This analysis tries to demonstrate the common theological elements between Black Christianity and Judaism. Therefore, it is these common theological elements and the Blacks'and Jews'identification with their similar historical experience that become the roots of the Black-Jewish alliance during the 1950s and 1960s.In the late 1960s, the Black-Jewish relationship declined because of various reasons. The author hopes that roots analysis of the Black-Jewish alliance in the 1950s and 1960s will be helpful to predict the development of the future Black-Jewish relationship. Moreover, the experience and lessons of their decline of conflicts and road to peaceful coexistence can be of some help for reference in keeping our multiracial country in harmony.