Purim Blackface: Unchallenged Jewish racism in the USA

The focus on anti Semitism has become pervasive in the US. The recent backlash to statements by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar have united the left and the right in condemning Jewish stereotypes. But have Jews been held to the same standards when it comes to racism?

According to the Forward, it is not uncommon for Orthodox Jews to dress in blackface for Purim. After someone in blackface attended a Purim party in Los Angeles, Aliza Hausman of Chabad-Lubavitch, who identifies as a mixed-race Dominican Jew, said she believes that the general attitude in the Orthodox world is that “dressing up in blackface for Purim is not racist”. CONTINUE READING