UCLA historian David Myers and students involved in the university’s “Dialogue Across Difference” initiative (DaD) were recently featured in PBS docuseries “Black and Jewish in America: An Interwoven History,” which explores the rich and complex relationship between Black and Jewish Americans. 

Myers, holder of UCLA’s Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History and director of the Bedari Kindness Institute (BKI), provided historical insight and expert commentary throughout the series, with longer appearances in episodes two and four. 

“In today’s world, when democratic institutions and rights are under threat, it is important to revisit the history of this coalition and to remember the power of bottom-up movements,” Myers said, reflecting on why he chose to appear in the documentary. “And out of this outstanding series should come a deeper understanding that can help bring positive change in this country.” 

As part of the series, students involved in DaD programming were also featured discussing the initiative’s impact on campus and their broader efforts to develop approaches that foster constructive dialogue amid a polarized environment. 

A layered history 

Executive produced and hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the series recounts the evolution of the Black-Jewish relationship across the 20th century. It examines how this relationship deepened after World War II, when the atrocities of the Holocaust came to light, reinforcing a sense of common struggle as both communities grappled with the devastating consequences of hatred and intolerance.

The series underscored the unity, often referred to as the “grand alliance,” that arose during the civil rights era to dismantle Jim Crow segregation.

“It is helpful to recall that Blacks and Jews, at a critical point in time, were able to draw on their shared historical imperative to overcome oppression to join together in one of the most significant political coalitions in 20th-century U.S. history,” Myers said. 

Notably, the series was intentional about presenting an unvarnished narrative, exploring how the alliance suffered as each group turned inward, prioritizing its own struggles and agendas in an increasingly fragmented social and political landscape.

“On one hand, the Black-Jewish relationship reveals the great possibilities of constructive coalition-building across racial, ethnic and religious lines in this country,” Myers said. “On the other hand, the relationship surfaces important differences in historical experience, socio-economic status and access to political and economic power that have led to divisions among Blacks and Jews.” 

Following a chance encounter during campus protests in April 2024, series co-producer Rachel Fleischer reached out to Myers with the idea for the documentary.

Looking forward through ‘Dialogue across Difference’

The final episode of the series, which considers both rising global tensions and the enduring lessons of coalition building and solidarity, spotlighted students representing UCLA’s “Dialogue across Difference” as a forward-looking example of the opportunities that arise from a framework of productive and respectful dialogue. 

In the documentary, DaD students shared their experiences and the lessons they’ve learned from recent campus tensions. Among them were Mikey Aboutboul, who is working toward a master’s in ethnomusicology; Felicia Graham, a doctoral candidate in the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies; and Stephany Cartney and Celie Fischer, who graduated in 2025.   

Their reflections underscored one of the central themes of the series: in a moment of divisiveness and rancor, meaningful dialogue and coalition-building across differences are essential to overcoming today’s challenges. 

Courtesy of PBS

David Myers

Myers thinks the series producers became particularly interested in featuring these students because their challenges are a microcosm of the challenges currently facing the United States. 

“If we are able to build up the capacity to listen to and hear one another at UCLA, then it suggests that there is a chance to move beyond the fractiousness and acrimony so prevalent in American political culture; I think that professor Gates and his team deeply resonated with that aspiration,” Myers said.

Maia Ferdman, BKI deputy director, is grateful for the opportunity to uplift the DaD student voices at a national level. 

“So often, what reaches the news is rancor, division and polarization. But this is not the whole story,” she said. “There are so many students and members of our campus community who are doing the hard work of building bridges and of grappling with their differences with skill and heart.”

“Black and Jewish in America: An Interwoven History” premiered on PBS on Feb. 3, 2026. Watch the series trailer at this link.