joshua

Joshua Washington

Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel
STOCKTON, CA, USA

What is the main focus of your activities today?
Combating Jew-hatred in the black community by education

How long have you been doing that?
Just over 4 years

What are some of the successful related programs or projects that you have done this year and in past years?
Partnered with organizations like Christians United for Israel to speak and provide music for the Mizrahi Project documentary. Partnered with Stand With Us, the Atlanta Israel Coalition, the Israeli Consulate in New York, and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation to make known the ties between Zionism and Civil Rights.

How did you get to where you are today?
My relationship with G-d, a strong family, and a father devoted to truth and integrity.

What is your “testimony”?
I grew up in a Christian household who embraced the Jewish roots of our faith. We were always seen as a kind of weird family because we observed the feasts and as I got older, stopped celebrating traditional Christian culture holidays like Easter and Christmas. Because of this, I grew up comfortable knowing that I am different that most of my peers. Growing up in a household like I did, and then seeing some of the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish sentiment at my college, and among some of my black peers particularly, I felt that I had no choice but to speak up. I first confronted and challenged a friend of mine around 2011 after they rattled off the usual anti-Israel talking points, and I haven’t looked back since.

What do you think God is doing with regard to Jewish-Christian relations?
I believe that G-d is bringing us together in a way that none of us can fully grasp right now; but as a Christian, I’ll say that it will open up our understanding of the scriptures many of us thought we knew, and give us a more profound appreciation and fondness of our Jewish brothers and sisters. I think it will also deepen our love for Yeshua along the way.

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