For Members Only and Hillel co-hosted the seventh annual Black Jewish Freedom Seder Thursday evening in Hardin Hall to continue what the organizers called the “Celebration of Unity, Cooperation, and Action” between black and Jewish students. The event, first held in 2003, is the legacy of a Northwestern student who attended a similar event at another university campus and wanted to bring what he saw back to Northwestern.
“It aims to build a partnership,” said Ayanna Berry, a McCormick junior who helped coordinate the event. “It parallels the struggles between black and Jewish history through a shared history of oppression.”
Shared history was the unifying theme as the seder began to unfold. Members at each table were asked to read a paragraph from a pamphlet handed out that outlined the meaning and purpose of the night’s seder. It touched on how blacks and Jews worked together to establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909 and the National Urban League in 1910. It also highlighted the similar voting behavior of black and Jewish members of congress.
Although the event, well-attended by members of both Northwestern’s black and Jewish communities, examined the shared history of suffering in the U.S. and abroad, its main focus was to spark discussion on contemporary issues of social justice.
“What can we do beyond this to build relationships between communities?” asked Jason Gutstein, a Weinberg senior. “We are looking to continue to do more and would love to see participation in more discussion based events.”
First time attendee Jordan Fein, a Weinberg sophomore, said the event met his expectations. He noted that listening to the history of other groups plays an important role in understanding cultural differences and problems today. “The whole campus benefits when you have a wide perspective.”
But Fein cautioned that the seder was only the first step in broadening Northwestern’s perspective. “In order to have action after the Freedom seder, we have to have a commitment to planning similar events.”
Disclosure: Joshua West is a member of For Members Only.