Activist Linda Sarsour called on Jews to fight for Palestinian rights and spoke out against pro-Israel groups that joined hundreds of Jews and other protesters at the New York March for Racial Justice on Sunday.

“It is not my job to educate white people on how to be anti-racist. It’s the job of white people to educate other white people. It is not my job as a Palestinian Muslim woman to educate Jewish people that Palestinians people deserve dignity and respect,” she said.

Sarsour suggested a small group of self-described Zionists marred the sprawling march that crossed the Brooklyn Bridge as part of a nationwide round of protests.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I’m going to be honest, there are instances of things that happened to me at this space [in the march] that made me feel unsafe,” she said, in what some took as a reference to signs supporting Zionism, brought to the rally by a pro-Israel group.

A national march took place in Washington D.C. Saturday, but other smaller marches were held yesterday to avoid a conflict with Yom Kippur.

Among those who joined the march were about a dozen activists who arrived at the rally carrying signs that read “Zioness”, emblazoned with a logo of a woman with the Star of David.

Some of the Jewish participants at the march were offended by the signs, and challenged the group, claiming they were only there to create a provocation.

Sarah Friedson, who marched with the pro-Zionist group, was carrying a sign that said “Make Jewish and Black relations great again.”

“I’m here as a white person to support racial justice, and I see other people here who are not only making it about themselves, but are here with a message that is counter to racial justice,’ Hanna Mermelstein said of the Zioness group.—With Haaretz

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount