I believe the events surrounding the deaths of Gavin Cato and Yankel Rosenbaum in August 1991 are the results of a misunderstanding or misrepresentation between the Blacks and Jews of Crown Heights. The death of Cato was an unintentional accident but the death of Rosenbaum was a “cold-blooded murder.” Although I do not agree with the violent Black response towards the passengers of the station wagon soon after the death of Cato I believe it is understandable. I have heard of many instances when a car hit a person, particularly a child, and the people around responded by beating up the people in the car as a form of punishment for the murder of the victim whether or not it was accidental. Now the question is this: is the station wagon filled with the Rebbe’s entourage or the car with the Italian man that crashed into the station wagon to blame for Cato’s death? The answer it seems will never be known because the color of the traffic light is crucial.
From the limited amount of information I got from the events surrounding Cato’s death and my own understanding of what I read I believe the station wagon is responsible for Cato’s death even though it was an accident. Even if the light was yellow it obviously turned red at some point allowing the other car with the Italian man to go forward. I believe the station wagon when met with the yellow light decided to risk going on to catch up with the Rebbe and got caught with the red light which resulted in him colliding with the Italian man’s car. The reason I say this is because there doesn’t seem to be an investigation about whether or not the Italian man’s car ran a red light which would put the blame of the collision on him. As a result, I think the driver of the station wagon should have been indicted. It is understandable why the Black community felt that by him going free it proved the white privilege of the Lubavitcher community who “gets away with everything.” However, I must add once again that my interpretation of these events are not facts but what I understood from the reading.
Since the Black community believed the Hasidim driver was the reason for Cato’s death they thought it was unfair to have the two black men responsible for Rosenbaum’s death brought to justice when the Hasidim driver was not. Although, I do not agree with this thinking I can understand why they thought so. Furthermore, this proved to the Black community the white privilege of the Lubavitcher community who “gets away with everything.” However, this happened a while after the accident. What really upset the black community was the ambulance controversy. The Hasidim ambulance arrived first and the NY EMS ambulance followed. Instead of treating the critically injured Black children the Hasidim ambulance treated the Hasidim Jews.
However, I’m not sure what to believe or think. If the ambulances were moments apart than there could be reasons why the Hasidim ambulance decided to treat the Hasidim Jews, other than favoritism towards their own community. What seems to be the most viable reason stated in the book is that the police told them to do so in order to protect the passengers of the car from the angry mob. The police may have said that because they saw the EMS ambulance there to treat the children moments later. However, if the ambulances were minutes apart I can understand why the Black community felt upset. Minutes are crucial in life and death situations. Perhaps if the Hasidim ambulance treated the children first it would have calmed the crowd. If the Hasidim ambulance only wanted to focus on the safety of the Hasidim Jews rather then the critically injured Black children than this would obviously reveal that the the Hasidim ambulance was guilty of favoritism towards their own community and being unfair to the Black community, among other things. However, it seems it is impossible to know whether or not the actions of the Hasidim ambulance were wrong or innocent.
Nevertheless, the Black community, mind you this includes African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans who are quite different from each other, viewed this as a wrong. Even of the Hasidim ambulance was innocent the Black community had no way of knowing this which doesn’t defend their violent retaliation against the police and Lubavitcher community that night but explains it. To them they were mistreated because the Lubavitcher Hasidim community was white and they were Black. This proved to them the isolation of the Hasidim community from the Black community, which they viewed as racial segregation, who seemed to live on their own island only concerned with themselves and careless of their neighbors.
The Black community responded with violence toward the Hasidim community for what they saw as the injustice done to their community. Protests on both sides erupted in violence and it was unclear who started it at times. The Black community tried (and was successful) to hurt, offend, and provoke the Hasidim community with antisemitic comments. The Black community viewed them as racial comments because they viewed the Lubavitcher Hasidim community as a White race.
However, the Lubavitcher Hasidim community viewed this as hatred and jealousy toward their Jewish religion not white race. They equated the attitude of the Black community toward them with the attitude Nazi’s had toward Jews during WWII. The Lubavitcher Hasidim community viewed themselves as “the voice of Jacob,” who were intelligent, spiritual, and the chosen ones with a “godly soul.” They were “at the hands of Esau,” who they believed was the “father of all Gentiles” who had “animal souls” and were characterized by “violent, materialistic, and an intense hatred and jealousy of Jews.” They believed Esau, the Gentiles, and all the stigma attached to them represented the Black community. To Jews the Black community was Cain who killed his brother Abel, represented by the Jewish community, out of jealousy and hatred. Many members of the Jewish community viewed the response of the Black community and government towards them during this conflict as a pogrom like the one they experienced with the Nazi’s!
I don’t believe the Black community hated the Jewish religion or should be equated with Nazi’s because their response was anger towards racial injustice not religious. I also don’t believe the Jewish community saw themselves as White racists against Blacks because their response was anger towards religious injustice not racial. As for the government, particularly the police’s actions, it didn’t seem they were effective for both sides. The Black community saw them favoring the White community and the Lubavitcher Hasidim Jews and saw them favoring the Gentiles. Quite ironically, Blacks and Jews are considered minorities. Not surprisingly, however, is that Blacks are considered a racial minority and Jews a religious minority, though you could also argue racial minority because sometimes Jews are viewed as a race of people belonging to one nation.
This intense hatred on both sides of the Black and Jewish community are the results of misunderstandings between the two of them. These misunderstandings have fueled the prejudice, discrimination, racism, and even segregation between these two communities no matter what angle you look at it. I believe one way to prevent this conflict from happening again is to find a way to “bridge the differences” between these two communities but as Henry Goldschmidt pointed out they don’t even agree on “the nature of their differences,” whether it is a racial difference, religious difference, or both.
I feel the weight of the decision to form a dialogue or friendship between these two communities rests on the shoulders of the Lubavitcher Hasidim Jews. I didn’t like or agree with how the Rebbe called the new Black community that was forming in Crown Heights as “enemies of Israel” and “those who worship idols and stars.” Already, this Jewish community viewed and labeled the new Black community as “enemies” who wanted to hurt them, who they needed to avoid, and who they needed to fight rather than friends or something less terrible. What you see is what you get! The Rebbe also offended the religion of the Black community, a majority being Christian, in quite an ironic fashion because the importance Hasidim Jews place on their Rebbe was once considered idol worshiping by the Jewish community. The Rebbe’s dislike of the Jewish community selling houses to non-Jewish people was racist and reminded me of the attitude some members of the Christian community had against selling houses to Catholics back in the days. This Jewish community succeeded in alienating and isolating themselves from the Black community and labeling the Black community negatively and undesirably. It is no surprise to me then that stereotypes began to exist between the two of them to explain the reason for this separation. Negative attitudes and stereotypes of each community sat in the back of their minds until a major event like the collision brought it out.
The fact is everyone thinks their beliefs are right and the truth unless otherwise proven. I believe racial assumptions are personal assumptions easily unproven but religious ones are more dangerous. How do you prove to someone that their religious law might me wrong, offending, or not interpreted properly by their spiritual, respected, and sacred leader in order to establish peace and harmony? I’m not trying to say that these communities should get rid of their differences or beliefs but I am saying they must try to become familiar with and understand their differences and beliefs so that they are not strange or distorted. Unless the Black and Jewish community of Crown Heights finds a way to bridge their differences and view each other as friends rather than enemies conflicts of terrible and tragic misunderstandings and negative stereotypes or eachother will prevail against them.
