NC Hillel stands with the Black community in demanding change

North Carolina Hillel mourns the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, as well as the many Black people whose names are not currently getting nationwide attention. We stand against the systemic racism that pervades our country. We will not be silent as our friends, neighbors, and members of our Jewish community continue to fear for their lives simply because of the color of their skin. Black lives matter.

We stand with the Black community in demanding change. We urge our community to learn more about police brutality, racial disparities in sentencing and incarceration rates, and the many other injustices our country perpetuates against the Black community today. We encourage our community to learn directly from Black voices, support Black-owned businesses, and donate to organizations working to confront these issues.

The Jewish community has a responsibility to keep learning more about anti-Black racism in America, and to work harder to be a strong ally to the Black community. As our namesake, Hillel, states in the Talmud, “If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” In this spirit, we seek to pursue conversations about race, amplify BIPOC voices, and be a space of healing, awareness, and growth. While our students are off campus and our physical campus spaces are closed, we commit to offering online learning opportunities and reading resources for our students and staff.

We also acknowledge the pain these events cause our students, especially students of color and those students who identify as both Black and Jewish. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our staff. We will listen and we will seek to help however we can.