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Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History

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History

Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History premieres taking viewers on an epic journey of the parallel and intersecting streams of Black and Jewish experience in the U.S. The four-part series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the complex relationship of the Black and Jewish communities -- both uniquely close and uniquely fraught. With honesty, humor, and attention to the many experiences within and across these communities, it will bring forward a rich history to see what it teaches us about the American experiment and the promise of a multiracial, multicultural democracy.

Tuesdays, beginning February 3, at 8 pm on Nine PBS and livestream.

Stream on the PBS app.

Local support for Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History is provided by The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, and The Missouri History Museum. 

Episode Guide:

Tuesday, February 3 - “Let My People Go”
Episode 1 explores the core differences at the start of the Black and Jewish American stories, as well as overlapping struggle, faith, resilience, and early civic partnerships by the 1920s. 

Tuesday, February 10 - “Strange Fruit”
Episode 2 spotlights how Black and Jewish communities collaborated in the early 20th century on music, movies, and the universal fight against fascism, navigating tensions while shaping culture, confronting injustice, and leaving a lasting social impact.

Tuesday, February 17 - “The ‘Grand Alliance’”
Episode 3 traces the 1960s’ “Grand Alliance” as Black and Jewish communities fought for civil rights in a transformative interracial coalition, and the imbalances that quickly tested their alliance.

Tuesday, February 24 - “Crossroads”
Episode 4 examines the shifting Black and Jewish relationship from the 1970s onward, exploring political gains, global tensions, rising hate, and the enduring lessons of coalition building and solidarity.

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