Blacks and Jews

As a longtime member of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, I applaud Peter Rose’s call for a renewal of substantive black-Jewish dialogues (“Blacks and Jews in America: the Bittersweet Encounter,” Commentary, May 30). Although there is an active Black Jewish Clergy Alliance that meets regularly, I agree with Rose that the two communities should launch additional intergroup dialogues to promote authentic understanding and mutual respect.

Of immediate concern are the ugly anti-Semitic outbursts published in the UCLA-subsidized black student magazine Nommo (Metro, May 24). As an obvious first step, college campus groups and ethnic organizations should eliminate name-calling, scapegoating and stereotyping in their publications and at their gatherings.

It is interesting to note that the Human Relations Commission sponsors effective round tables and dialogues between a variety of ethnic and racial groups, i.e., black-Korean, Latino-black, etc. These ongoing dialogues have succeeded in defusing tensions and in building bridges of cooperation.

RABBI MARTIN B. RYBACK, Los Angeles