The public is invited to a three-day celebration beginning with the virtual screening of the film Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance which will be available from noon Tuesday, January 19 to noon Thursday, January 21.
Followed by the screening, a local panel discussion will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 21. Purchase of the virtual screenings and the accompanying Zoom panel is available by visiting jewishchattanooga.com. The cost for the film screening and discussion is $12 per household.
Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance is about the often forgotten story of the coalition and friendship between the two communities.
“The film shows our shared history and struggles together. We need to not only educate our younger generations but also rekindle these relationships and work towards common good for both groups and all people,” explains Michael Dzik, Jewish Federation Executive Director
On Thursday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. a local panel discussion moderated by Dzik, will highlight Chattanooga’s historic African American-Jewish role in the local Civil Rights Movement. The discussion will take place via Zoom. Panel members include civil rights activists from Chattanooga’s Jewish community Bob Berz and Herb Cohn, and Dr. Clark E. White from the African American community.
Bob Berz - A native of Chattanooga, his involvement in African American-Jewish connection began in the 1960s, mainly through personal and business relationships. These relationships led to many opportunities for creation of understanding and appreciation for one another.
Herb Cohn – With over 80 years as a lifelong Chattanooga resident, Cohn’s main store was a block and a half from the dime store sit-ins. After returning to Chattanooga from college and the Navy, he has a wealth of personal experiences to share.
Clark E. White, Ph.D. – White is a fourth generation Chattanoogan who grew up in Orchard Knob during the Jim Crow era of segregation, attending Orchard Knob schools and Riverside High School. After 40 years away, teaching at the college level and performing blues music, he returned in 2006 to see a city that was certainly changed but in some ways was still the same.
Michael Dzik – A lifelong Chattanoogan, Dzik has worked diligently to rekindle the African American-Jewish relationship promoting on-going dialogues against acts of hate.
For more information, contact the Jewish Federation, (423) 493-0270 or visit jewishchattanooga.com.
The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits, social services, and a preschool—all rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibility, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. Located at 5461 North Terrace, the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.
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