Rabbi Founded Coalition to Renew Black-Jewish Alliance
Rabbi Jeremy Barras launched Be'et Hazot to strengthen community ties following a rise in antisemitic incidents.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Judaism
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Rabbi Jeremy Barras of Pinecrest, Florida, established the Be'et Hazot coalition in 2026 to revitalize the Black-Jewish civil rights alliance. The group, which currently includes 55 rabbis, held a summit in Atlanta to foster local relationships across the United States.
Why it matters
Barras formed the coalition after determining that existing national institutions struggled to mobilize local pulpits quickly to combat antisemitism. The initiative aims to address a climate in which the Anti-Defamation League tracked 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025.
The coalition consists of 55 rabbis and has raised $1 million to support its operations across 50 targeted U.S. cities. In 2025, antisemitic incidents resulted in three deaths and approximately 300 injuries.
The players
Jeremy Barras
He serves as the senior rabbi of Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Florida, and founded the Be'et Hazot coalition.
Andrew Young
The 94-year-old former ambassador and civil rights leader was involved in the efforts to strengthen the Black-Jewish alliance.
The details
Barras recruited the initial coalition members through individual phone calls to leadership at large congregations, succeeding with 49 of 50 rabbis contacted. The group coordinates joint op-ed campaigns and local coalition meetings between religious leaders to solidify the sacred covenant between communities.
Timeline
The Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025.
Rabbi Jeremy Barras advocated for rabbinical leadership in March 2025.
Thirty rabbis traveled to Israel for official meetings in January 2026.
The Black-Jewish alliance summit took place in Atlanta in late August 2026.
Over 1,000 rabbis signed an open letter regarding anti-Zionism in October 2026.
Culture Shift
This story follows a pattern set by the Black-Jewish civil rights alliance, extending that historical partnership into contemporary interfaith activism. The movement marks a shift toward grassroots, rabbi-led engagement rather than traditional institutional approaches to combating hate.
Readers may see an increase in interfaith collaborative events and local meetings between community leaders aimed at fostering stronger relations. This initiative seeks to provide more immediate local responses to hate incidents, affecting how neighborhoods address communal safety and civil rights.
The takeaway
The creation of Be'et Hazot highlights a shift toward prioritizing direct, local-level partnerships between religious leaders to address national challenges. Individuals can engage with this trend by participating in local interfaith councils and community-building programs in their own cities.
What happens next
Rabbi Barras is scheduled to travel to Ottawa in November to engage with Canadian leadership. Additionally, he plans to lead a group of rabbis on a trip to Israel this winter, and the Be'et Hazot coalition intends to reconvene in Atlanta next year.
Further reading
Learn more about modern religious movements and community efforts in the Judaism section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mid-Hudson News.
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