I write as a Black, Ethiopian‑born, deeply Zionist Jew, an international educator and diplomacy expert who has lived inside both American and Israeli political cultures. From that vantage point, I see something that should alarm anyone who cares about the Jewish future and moral leadership: too often, if you are brown or Black, it is easier to be fully accepted on the Left than on the Right. That reality is not only unjust; it is strategically suicidal.
In the United States, I experienced this personally. As an Ethiopian‑origin Jewish man active in the Democratic Party in New York City, I found open doors, mentoring, and a path to leadership. When I observed the Republican Party up close, I saw a different culture: complicated hierarchies, tight inner circles, and leadership dominated by long‑established, mostly white networks. For a person of color, even a conservative one, breaking in was far harder. The message, even if unspoken, was clear: You may agree with us, but you are not really one of us.
In Israel, the pattern is similar, though the history is different. Left‑leaning parties and NGOs have invested in Mizrahi, Ethiopian, Russian‑speaking, and Arab Israelis as visible leaders and partners. The Right, while winning huge electoral support from many of these communities, has not matched that inclusiveness at the top levels of government, media, and business. Brown and Black voters are often welcomed as foot soldiers on Election Day, but not as equal partners in shaping policy and vision.
If right‑wing parties and communities in Israel, and the Republican Party in the United States, do not become truly inclusive of brown and Black citizens, they will not only lose political ground; they will damage the Jewish people’s moral standing and our ability to defend ourselves in the court of world opinion.
For decades, much of organized American Jewry built a strong alliance with white, conservative, often Evangelical Christian America. That partnership brought real benefits, but it also helped create the image of Judaism as a white, Western, conservative project tied to colonialism. The Middle Eastern and African roots of Judaism, the Black and brown faces of Jews from Ethiopia, Yemen, Iraq, Morocco, India, and beyond, were pushed to the edge of the picture.
Jews seen as part of a system to oppose
Now, a new generation, especially in the US, Europe, and the Global South, is suspicious of anything it associates with white power. Many do not see Jews as fellow targets of hatred, but as part of the system they oppose. At the same time, many Jewish institutions did not build deep, mutual relationships with Black and brown communities. Statements were issued, panels were held, but real shared struggle and long‑term investment were too rare.
When antisemitism explodes and Jews are attacked in streets and on campuses, we look for allies and find that many see us as part of the problem, not fellow targets. This is how we communicate with you, but we don’t know how our younger brothers and sisters will communicate with you. Please respond kindly, immediately.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks taught that Jews are not called to be “the right‑wing people” or “the left‑wing people.” We are called to be a holy people who see every human being, whether they be brown, Black, or white, as created in the image of God. As individuals, we may vote Republican or Democrat, Likud or Labor. But as a people, we must be visibly and actively committed to the dignity of all.
Any political camp claiming to defend Jewish interests must prove, in practice, that it welcomes and elevates Jews and non‑Jews of all colors and backgrounds. We are to live with you, not above you or apart from you. We are voicing the truth with love. You don’t have to love us, but you must accept us: we are human, and we are Jews, we are Zionists, and yes, we can do.
I say clearly: I am right‑wing and strongly Zionist. I respect our government’s role in defending Israel, working to return our hostages, expanding the Abraham Accords, and recognizing Somaliland as a rare island of stability and democracy in the Horn of Africa. These are important achievements, and I call this Jewish moral diplomacy.
But if we want such policies to be credible, our leadership must reflect the full face of Am Yisrael – the nation of Israel. Power and resources on the Right must be shared more visibly with Ethiopian Israelis, Mizrahim, Russian‑speaking Jews, and other minorities. If Israel wants to lead Africa in a dignified partnership and silence those who accuse us of “white Zionist imperialism,” then who we appoint matters.
To my brothers and sisters on the Right, in Israel and America: This is not a call to abandon your ideology; It is a call to live up to it. If we fail, we will lose the youth and our allies, and our enemies will win the narrative war without firing a shot. But if we succeed, the world will see the people of Israel, in all its colors, taking responsibility not only for ourselves, but for making this earth a better place for everyone.
The author is a former NYC Supreme Court Detective/investigator and educator in conflict resolution, restorative peace, and moral diplomacy expert. His upcoming book is Moral Diplomacy for a Broken World, inspired by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.