Tikkun olam to the Talmud, Jews double down on identity at protests
A demonstrator holds up a sign during a Black Lives Matters protest on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image by John Kunza
Jewish protesters are putting their own spin on the signs they carry to Black Lives Matters rallies across the country.
In Brooklyn, home to the largest Jewish community in the United States, signs have included religious and secular tropes, generally sharing a common theme— invoking Jewish identity.
Here are just a few of the images I snapped while covering some protests in Brooklyn in recent days.
Orthodox Jews hold signs at a Black Lives Matter rally at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, Thursday, June 4, 2020. Image by John Kunza
Jewish demonstrators take part in a Black Lives Matters protest at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, Thursday, June 4, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Jewish protest holds up a tikkun olam sign at a protest in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza, Thursday, June 4, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Jewish demonstrator takes part in a Black Lives Matters march through downtown Brooklyn on Thursday, June 4, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Haredi man cheers the protesters in Williamsburg on June 3, 2020. Image by John Kunza/The Forward
Zach Schaffer, wearing a Jews for Black Lives sign, speaks with an Orthodox man in Crown Heights during a protest on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image by John Kunza
The moment when @ZacharySchaffer (wearing the kippah) and other organizers worked with NYPD to peacefully disband tonight’s march that ended in Crown Heights. No arrests were made marchers quietly left. The march also included other Jewish protesters, rabbis and @bradlander. pic.twitter.com/z2g3HGtqMR
— Johnny Kunza (@johnkunza) June 7, 2020
Rosa Lander holds a sign along Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights, Brooklyn during a Black Lives Matters protest, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A rabbi works as a de-escalator during a Black Lives Matters protest in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Image by John Kunza
An Orthodox Jewish woman takes part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
An Orthodox woman holds a sign during a Black Lives Matters march in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Jewish demonstrator holds up a sign at a Black Lives Matters protest in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
An Orthodox Jewish family takes part in a Black Lives Matters protest in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
An Orthodox woman takes part in a Black Lives Matters protest in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Jewish family takes part in a Black Lives Matters march in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
A Jewish protester holds up at a sign at a Black Lives Matters march in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Image by John Kunza
John Kunza is the news director of the Forward, you can follow him on twitter at @johnkunza.
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