New Agendas: The Organizational Jewish Response to Apartheid

Abstract

In the early 1980s, as the global antiapartheid movement grew stronger, American Jewish men and women navigated the currents of protest over Zionism, Israel, South Africa, and apartheid, forging their own paths to the antiapartheid movement. American Jews joined these efforts as individuals, in secular organizations, and in Jewish organizations such as the Jewish Labor Committee and New Jewish Agenda. Adding to the complexity of these efforts was the fact that the word apartheid was increasingly heard in conversations about Israel: because of Israel’s relationship with South Africa, but also because of the frequent critiques by African and Asian nations and their allies that likened Israeli policies to those of apartheid.