The president of the local NAACP chapter is calling for a meeting with township Jewish leaders after witnessing children in blackface wearing Afro wigs and sweatshirts with “Black Lives Matter” on them during Purim celebrations Friday.
Fred Rush told the Press he saw the children on Ponderosa Drive and Pine Street and talked to two adults present to let them know that “it’s totally inappropriate that the children do that.”
“This is not new. Every year on Purim they do the same thing,” Rush said. “They do the exact same thing and I don’t think they can give a damn.”
Rush said others witnessed the scene and took photographs. In an image shared with the Press, two young children in blackface are seen standing and wearing dashiki-print shirts and hats.
Read more at Asbury Park Press.
{Matzav.com}
Aren’t they celebrating black people. I don’t understand why this is racist.
What stupid parents think this is a good idea especially at a time where pictures and videos spread all over the world in a second, and where these blm and such groups are so accepted in the world and encouraged. What shoitim. We live in a different world, adjust to it! When others dress up as yidden we post it all over our websites and become offended. What makes you think others don’t feel the same way? Just keep a low profile enough being all over the news!
Who becomes offended?? And why would a Lakewood family think that it is a problem dressing up as a black person on Purim when this has been done for ages? Why when a black calls another the N word it’s encouraged but when a white conservative person does it’s the most offensive thing possible (worse than murder)?
If blackface were really offensive to the Black community, the governor of Virginia, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Falon would not continue to have their jobs.
If wearing African garb were really offensive to the Black community, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and about a dozen other Democrats would not continue to have their jobs.
When a few religious Jews do it one day a year, there must be a huge protest? Really?!?!
Spare me the selective outrage.
When I was a kid 40-50 years ago it was very common to wear blackface on Purim. Even in Hollywood it was common at that time. Whenever my children and grandchildren go through old albums the joke is-you better throw out these old Purim pictures or you’ll get cancelled. In today’s climate where everyone is thin skinned we should be extra careful of other people’s feelings. I just want to know who decided that blackface is offensive.
Gotta use sechel.
It is a day of dressing up. They’re kids who are not doing this to make a political statement nor to denigrate anyone, but who’s only motivation is to dress up as something different, be it to look Chinese, Moroccan (Fez), Arab, Italian or black.
If they’re also wearing a BLM shirt, then that could only make it better, as it possibly is a show of lending support to them.
Can someone explain what the problem is exactly? It’s like dressing like superman. Did they make fun of blacks? Wear handcuffs with the costume? If gentiles dressed like Jews on Halloween, would that be a problem? Without a big nose and other exaggerations, of course. Maybe Fred Rush thinks it’s derogatory to be black, or to root for BLM. I think he’s racist against blacks and BLM.
Maybe they are jealous and want to identify as black?
What’s wrong?? If a black guy gets dressed up in chassidic garb, we’d care?
This is all garbage
The NAACP and Fred Rush are racists. If I saw some black kids robbing a gas station attendant, I couldn’t pin the blame for that on “black people”. How dare these racists bring up, mention or blame the religious identity of these children? Their being Jewish, of whatever variety, is immaterial and racist/antisemitic to cite or mention or raise or blame for this. He should have stuck to saying he saw some children do this, without bringing up their religious identity.
This society is insane
The comments defending blackface are so ignorant and offensive, they sound like they were tweeted by Frontier Airlines.
What about the idiotic so-called “black israelites” who pretend to be the “real” Jews, who go around dressed-up in Jewish symbols, carry broom sticks, and scream at passing Jews that they are not the real Jews. That’s much more offensive than a black face. How come the NAACP doesn’t protest the so-called “black israelites”?! Obviously, NAACP are the real racists here, they are manipulative pigs who will always push with new demands, and as such shouldn’t be given an inch. Hold your ground!