B’nai B’rith International, the Jewish fraternity of North America Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), and the historically Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi (KAPsi), have launched an exciting new partnership to bring the message of tolerance and mutual understanding to college campuses nationwide.

Blacks and Jews share a common history of oppression. During the 20th century, the groups worked together to win equal rights for all citizens. In the 1940s, prominent Black leaders like W.E.B. Dubois helped bring about the creation of a Jewish state and the rescue of Jews from the Holocaust. During the tumultuous 1960s, many Jews fought for civil rights by organizing voter registration drives and marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy (KAPsi).

But since the 1960s, Black-Jewish partnerships have waned.  In fact, there has been no sustainable Black-Jewish collaboration in the history of fraternal organizations.  B’nai B’rith and its campus partners are changing that. 

Through joint programming, the groups hope to achieve mutual understanding between the Black and Jewish campus communities. The entire campus of each university is invited to take part in each program. And the programs will often focus on fraternity brothers, and other leaders, past and present, who have worked to combat bigotry and intolerance.

Both organizations are paying tribute to past leaders, and seeking inspiration from them for the future. They are focusing on heroes such as Michael Schwerner (AEPi ‘61), a Cornell University graduate who died fighting for the civil rights of African Americans, and Abernathy, a civil rights leader, aide to King, organizer of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Abernathy, like King, was an outspoken advocate for the state of Israel.   

Together the groups hope to collectively serve as an example to other organizations by showing that traits such as race, gender, and religion do not preclude organizations from successfully working together. Re-opening the dialogue between these groups is the first step for a successful new partnership between these communities.

The partnership kicked off February 5 at the University of Florida with speaker LaVon Mercer, an African American.  Mercer told the audience about his time in Israel in the 1980s, when he played basketball for the Israeli national team. While there, he served in the Israel Defense Forces.  Mercer urged students of both groups to become more unified and break away from their own cliques. Cooperation is essential if we are to coexist and progress, he said.   

A program on Darfur took place at New York University and is in the works at Temple University. Cornell University will hold a voter registration drive in memory of Schwerner this spring.   

Celebrating B’nai B’rith International’s 165 years and Israel’s 60 years in 2008.

B’nai B’rith International, the global voice of the Jewish community, is the oldest and most widely known Jewish humanitarian, human rights, and advocacy organization.  Since 1843, BBI has worked for Jewish unity, security, continuity, and tolerance.  Visit www.bnaibrith.org.