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A JOURNEY OF UNDERSTANDING
R. Francis Blakeney was among 17 college newspaper editors nationwide picked by the
Anti-Defamation League for a 14-day trip to Israel and Poland this summer. These are
excerpts from his journal along with photos:
Day One: August 14
I am in Warsaw at this writing. The
trip over was a pleasant one
except for the length — about 12
hours from New York. I am the
only African American in this
group.
I listened to much of the
presentations today and it’s
impossible not to see the
similarities between what Jews
and African Americans went
through. Yet, there exists such
tension between these two ethnic
groups. 1 wonder whether it’s
because America acknowledges
the tragedy of the Holocaust, but
expresses little remorse for
slavery.
Day Two: August 15
Today, I saw quite a few Poles
with a significant amount of
melanin in their skin. I am quite
pleased that in almost every
Catholic church there is a Black
Madonna and Child. The tour
guide attributes this to two
factors: the paintings came from
the East and eastern art is darker;
and the soot from the candle
makes the paintings look
“black”!!
Day Three: August 16
We visited Auschwitz today — by
far the most emotionally
challenging part of the
journey till now. What a
heart-wrenching
experience. Auschwitz took
a toll on the group as a
collective, as we wept for the
thousands who bore the
pain and suffering during
those dark days.
It is painful that while we all
acknowledge that the
persecution of the Jews was
a crime against humanity,
the same unity and sharing
eludes us when we talk
about slavery. We Blacks
deserve a monument to our
pain.
After lunch, we headed for Israel,
the second
leg of the
trip. Racism
has a way of
creeping in
throughout
the journey.
At the airport
in Israel, I am
the only one
stopped and
questioned
over and
over again. I
was released
only after the
travel agency
official came
to my rescue.
Day Four:
August 17
At the
Diaspora
Museum in
Tel Aviv, our
guide, Mike,
mentions Sephardic Jews — a
group with origins in Spain. I
know two African Americans who
trace their lineage to Sephardic
Jews. Mike says they do not have
a significant amount of melanin in
their skin. I am not a historian so
I did not debate the issue, but I
am quite sure he’s wrong.
Day Five: August 18
After climbing the Evin Adat
canyon, I saw the sun set over
Egypt. The sight reminded me of
Nt MILLION JEWISH CHILDREN
NAZI GERMAN BARBARIANS
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a post card a friend once sent me.
She simply said, “We are the gift
of the Nile.”
Day Seven: August 20
I went to the Holy Land today.
We toured the Wailing Wall, the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
and walked
part of the Via
Del Rosa.
Later, we met
with
Professor
Yehuda
Bauer, and it
was one of
the few times
I heard, an
adamta^ment
of slavery
when
discussing
human tragedies. We also
met with officials from Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s office.
Day Eight: August 21
Last night, the US bombed
Afghanistan and Sudan.
Tensions are running high
here. This morning we are
meeting with Eve Harrow, a
Jew, and Salah Tamri, a
council member of the
Palestinian Authority.
I found Harrow’s
presentation to be really
one-sided. She made a
statement which I
interpreted as a call for the
assassination of PLO leader
Yasser Arafat.
Everyone in my
group was quick
to point out that I
was
overanalyzing. I
beg to differ.
Salah Tamri was
much more
willing to
compromise and
work for peace.
Tamri is much
older than
Harrow and I
.believe he knows
firsthand the
horrors of war.
Nonetheless, he
was adamant the
PLO will declare
statehood in 1999.
Day Ten:
August 23
This afternoon, I
met Christine
Pilon. Pilon is a Christian who,
along with her husband, has
committed her life to improving
Jewish-Christian relationships.
Day Eleven: August 24
We stop by Yemin Orde to see Dr.
Chaim Perim, who is working
toward solving some of the racial
tension arising from the return of
Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
Day Twelve: August 25
After 11 hours of flying, I am in
New York. I am glad to be home.
We say goodbye and hug for the
last time, and I rush to catch my
plane to Atlanta. I am reminded
of David’s declaration in the
Psalms, “Oh how good and
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity.”
(Clockwise from left): Portrait
of Black Madonna and Child
at Krakow, Poland; marker
for tree planted in memory of
Oskar Schindler; the Wailing
Wall in Jerusalem, where
thousands flock each day;
memorial to Jewish children
slaughtered during the
Holocaust (center); luggage
reportedly belonging to Anne
Frank's sister, on display at
Auschwitz; entrance to Oskar
Schindler's first factory,
where Jews made pots and
pans.
