What’s At Stake: Van Jones on Democracy, The Election & The Power of the Black Jewish Alliance

In this episode, Jonah sits down with legendary commentator, activist and community ally Van Jones to dive into the historical power ancd current necessity of the Black & Jewish relationship. Together, Jonah and Van discuss the historic ties between their communities, the forces that try to divide them, and how both must work together to safeguard democracy and each other. Additionally, they discuss the pending Presidential election, the power of activism, and the origin of Van’s name! An eye-opening episode full of insight, truth, and personal stories not to be missed.

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Host & Production Team
Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sean Leviashvili; Editor: Patrick Edwards);, Social Media Manager: Yuval Yosha; Designer Noah Bell Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, and Consulting Producers: Shield Communications (Ariella Noveck & Bethany Mandel).

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00:00 Introduction and Context
00:16 Exploring Jewish Identity
01:05 Challenging Jewish Validity
02:23 Solidarity and Unification
06:05 Introducing Van Jones
08:00 Van Jones' Early Life and Influences
13:29 Experiences with Racism and Activism
23:20 Media Integrity and Bias
27:08 Addressing Anti-Semitism and Advocacy
34:20 The Palestinian Cause and Hamas
35:23 Personal Impact and Progressive Identity
36:18 Social Media and Public Perception
37:06 Standing Up for All Communities
37:29 Facing Fear and Speaking Out
40:46 Complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
45:15 Black and Jewish Community Relations
53:08 Challenges and Misunderstandings
58:05 Political Perspectives and Future Hopes
01:01:02 Final Thoughts and Reflections

[phg]

I absolutely love Van Jones. Such a smart and down to earth guy. I heard him say right after October 7 that he stood with Israel and the Jews because he remembered all the Jews who participated in the civil rights movement. I wish others in the black community also knew and cared about that history. Jews so easily identify with the struggle for civil rights and we should be natural allies.

[Girlforaction]

I'm glad I'm not the only Black person who feels like this.

[janetneice]

I ❤ Van Jones. He has been a voice of truth, empathy, and reason. He’s not afraid to call out hate, which he rightly states, that we as Jews need solidarity from within and from other communities. I hope his activism to bridge our communities stays strong and creates more positive outcomes. Great interview!!

[skylineemily]

So appreciate and admire Van Jones. Wish more younger folks in this country would listen to him.

[christinajohnson]

This was an excellent dialog. I so appreciate Van Jones calling for solidarity between Blacks and Jews

[chavelie]

Thank you Van for your clarity, logic, truth and authenticity.

[raeli]

The reality is, that Jewish spaces (synagogues, schools, and even our homeland, etc) have ALWAYS needed more security than other ethno/religious ones.

[bigm]

as a black man and a muslim i agree with most of what he said only disagreement is using the term islamic terrorsm it has nothing to do with our religion its just terror thats it and legitimising them by saying there islamic has hurt the voices opposing them for a long time and also saying elica le bon is a good person to learn from shes not shes a straight islamophobe, other than that i appreciate the black jewish alliance here theres so many problems in the inner cities and truly standing together iis a good thing against bigotry from anyone & i pray that the issues in the middle east get solved so both sided feel heard and that true justice prevails so no wrongs feels undone because a muslim jewish alliance would be so strong across the world it would be so beautiful most muslims are actually pretty moderate and secular but conflicts just make people irrational

[raeli]

I used to call myself a “bad Jew”. The only silver lining from Oct. 7th and the horrendous year that’s followed, my Jewishness has amplified 🤍💙

[SHope-rqhc]

Not rich Jewish Therapist here working in Chicago ..we are not all rich and definitely love to change the world for the better...thanks for this awesome convo!

[Matithyahu]

I really liked the opening of this episode.

I personally think it is very important for all Jews - especially secular, educated, enlightened Jews - to explore the Torah and Sages and commentaries and create a Jewish identity based on Moses and our Sages, as opposed to the modern concept of religion. Being a Jew isn't about being or not being religious. The Torah is our way of life, including rituals, but not only - values, law, mysticism, government, how to organize society, education, critical thinking, taxation, war, etc. One should have an academic knowledge of Jewish values and history and heritage.

I feel that apropos the "need" to feel like one has to "excuse" their Jewishness, knowledge is power.

[raeli]

Love this man!! Thank you for this conversation 🤍

[HowardShapiro-on]

Interesting.. Thanks Van for your support. Nice to hear reason and empathy.

[jessieisrael]

I really appreciate his perspective on the current relationship between the black and jewish community. Very insightful interview.

[gheller]

Hey Van, the vast majority of everyone sat out the civil rights movement. But the group that sat out the least by far were Jews. The reality is that without Jewish support the civil rights movement would have been at least 10 years behind of the actual progress that was made. And THAT is why we are hurt and angry that post-George Floyd black America has not supported us the way we believe we deserve and have earned.

[HannahAdelstein-bftw]

THANK YOU VAN JONES we have seen you with your pin for the hostages and you have continuously been speaking up against people supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and terrorists, and for Zionism and Israel existing, one of the few progressives with any heart for Israel and Jewish people who don't think the way they think they should anymore.

[TNK]

I ordered a veggie pizza on a first date with a *Jewish* guy and he immediately questioned whether I kept kosher or not. When I said, "yes, " (my own "rules" are that I don't eat pork, shellfish, or mix meat and milk) he proceeded to tell me that he could never be with someone who kept kosher and I got a look of judgement. a) I never asked him to keep kosher nor did I care, b) all I did was order a veggie pizza and only said I kept kosher because he asked, and c) I didn't think that conversation was necessary for a first date. I get looked down upon because I see keeping kosher as an important (for me) tradition and is part of what makes me feel connected to being Jewish, among other things. The issue goes both ways. Some more culturally Jewish people or reform Jews will look down on you for doing something that is seen as too observant. That's not the only time I've been told by a Jewish man that they wouldn't date me because I keep kosher. I've never told anyone that they were a bad Jew for eating bacon but apparently there's something wrong with me for not eating it.

[sarafwolf]

37:29 I literally burst into tears when I got to this point in the interview. This man, as the interviewer says, is just the embodiment of Tikkun Olam and it's one thing when the social cost is zero, but we all know it's absolutely not right now.

[adidrai]

It’s been so so long since I’ve heard someone from the left who speaks in a way that resonates with me.

I’m so glad that I’ve been proven wrong about staying away from listening to jones, since I loved him so much before, and after 10.7 I packed him into the left anti Israel propaganda machine without really knowing his stance only because so many others broke my trust. I should have known better.

[dcyael]

love how much van jones talked about taking a long term, nuanced perspective that goes beyond the binary and algorithm. i wish jonah had dug into van jones' comment about how few young blacks know their white friends are actually jewish. the way we think about race and ethnicity in the united states erases jewish identity. (Other groups are whitewashed as well of course.) This is dangerous because it can naturally decrease solidarity/allyship and actively add to succeptibilty of people to anti-jewish propoganda. Grateful that they did talk about weaponization of communities against each other by the right and white supremacists. Thanks so much!