Juneteenth is a marvelous celebration of America. It is the story of Exodus reborn in America. America is and always has been the new Jerusalem–a city on a hill, with hope, redemption, and glory. Juneteenth does not erase the ravages of slavery, inequality, systemic racism, or the scourge of America’s greatest stain.
Juneteenth is an American story. The Jews wandered 40 years in the desert to realize their freedom after slavery. The African-American community waited and suffered for 400 years. Passover is celebrated for 8 days and 8 nights. During this celebration we recount our dismal period of slavery and oppression by telling the story to our young. During the Passover seder we are asked to convey the story in the first person. Our African-American brothers and sisters can do that readily because their oppression is not remote. It is more than a thousand years old but it is living and evident in the fabric of our society.
We have come so far and so long, yet there is so much work to be done. The Jewish community has always stood arm and arm, hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder with the Black community. We do so now, even though we face harsh critics within the Black community, and we will always do so. The central tenet of Judaism is to love your neighbor as yourself. My people will never deny this.
So for Juneteenth we shouldn’t ask ourselves why this is a national holiday. We should ask why is this is not a weeklong celebration of dignity and coming together. I ask that the African-American community and the Jewish community of this city come together and celebrate our shared identity, story, history and the future we can forge ahead because of our shared commitment to one another, to faith, to community, and justice.
Nathan S. Cohen, St. Louis
