Statement as to the Recent, and Current, Violence in the Middle East Against Israel
Preston Love, Jr.
As a member of the human race and a man of God, I express my dismay and disdain as to the recent mass killing by Hamas against the state of Israel and its people. Specifically, the shock of my generation, at the level to which hate has become. The killing of men, raping of women and children, is a shock.
As a member of the African American race, who has experienced generations of hate and killing, I bring a special sensitivity and awareness of the effects of unbridled hatred. Whether it be African Americans or the Jewish community, it’s unacceptable and should be called out and challenged. No longer are these acts of hate and terrorism just to unique areas, but in 2023, these acts of hate cross state lines and country lines. It is a global phenomenon that requires leadership to speak against, not only when it just affects our own constituency, but any constituency.
I acknowledge as a Black leader that the African American and Jewish relationship has always been both supportive and complex. We’ve had our differences. Hate and violence have never been a component of the Black/Jewish relationship.
As a community elder in North Omaha, and having lived a life of activism, I have worked alongside our Jewish neighbors and have been involved in many of the Jewish community initiatives, and they have been involved in mine.
I stand strong and rebuke the trend in this country towards division, divisiveness, and accompanying violence, one against another. I take a stand, and have worked recently, to bridge gaps, and hope that we all can learn that the violence in Israel, against Jews, can very well be violence against Jews, Black, and others, right here in our country, and in our city.
God Bless the families and victims of violence in Israel and everywhere.