In a candid, insightful, and wide-ranging conversation on “Inspiration from Zion,” Dana White, founder of the Randolph L. White Foundation, communications specialist, and a former Pentagon spokesperson, delved into the roots of antisemitism within the Black community in the United States. Drawing from her personal experiences and her 2024 article, “Why HBCUs Are Key to Fighting Antisemitism,” White highlighted how historical shifts, cultural influences, and educational institutions have fueled division. Yet, she argued, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) hold immense potential as battlegrounds for reconciliation, echoing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

White’s insights stem from her family’s multigenerational story, which underscores the once-strong Black-Jewish alliances. Her grandfather, born in 1896, rose from janitor at the University of Virginia Hospital to a managerial role (the first ever such role there for a Black man) thanks to a Jewish doctor, Dr. Goodwin. This act of recognition, embodied in the Jewish ethos of tikkun olam—repairing the world—remains central to her and her family’s identity as it propelled her family’s trajectory. Her parents, graduates of Howard University in the 1960s, cherished fond memories of their Jewish neighbors and faculty, including those who fled Nazi Germany and found refuge at HBCUs. At a time when quotas existed for Jews in many areas across America, these institutions, White noted, saved about 50 German Jews with visas during the Holocaust, fostering a shared history of common destiny and resilience.

White highlighted the post-Civil Rights era, where Blacks and Jews were close allies. The reality of the Jewish role in the Civil Rights movement is largely not remembered........

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