The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a figure in the American civil rights movement, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, died today at the age of 84, his family announced.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
No immediate cause of death was released.
Jackson had faced serious health challenges in recent years. He was hospitalized in November and had lived for more than a decade with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement, balance, and swallowing and can lead to life-threatening complications. In 2017, he publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson emerged as a national voice during the civil rights era, working closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and participating in major demonstrations.
In 1971, after a dispute that led to his suspension from the SCLC over allegations that he had used the organization for personal gain, Jackson founded People United to Save Humanity, known as PUSH. The organization focused on improving economic conditions in Black communities and later broadened its activities to include political advocacy. In 1996, PUSH merged with the National Rainbow Coalition, which Jackson had launched during his first presidential campaign, forming the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and again in 1988. In his first run, he secured more than 18% of the primary vote and won several contests. A 1984 New York Times profile noted, “Merely by being black and forcing other candidates to consider his very real potential to garner black votes, which they need, Jackson has had an impact.” In 1988, he expanded on that performance, winning 11 primaries and caucuses and cementing his status as a significant national political figure.
Reflecting on his 1984 campaign years later, Jackson said in a PBS interview, “The great responsibility that we have today is to put the poor and the near-poor back on front of the American agenda. This is a dangerous mission, and yet it’s a necessary mission!”
Yet his 1984 presidential bid was also shadowed by controversy, particularly over remarks and associations that many viewed as anti-Semitic. During an off-the-record conversation with a reporter that year, Jackson referred to Jews as “hymies” and called New York City “hymietown.” When the comments became public, he initially denied making them and accused Jewish critics of targeting his campaign. He later acknowledged using the slur and issued an emotional apology at a synagogue shortly before the New Hampshire primary.
Tensions intensified when Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan defended Jackson and issued his own inflammatory statements, including warning that if Jews harmed Jackson, it would be the “last ‘black brother’ they would harm.” Jackson’s hesitation at the time to fully repudiate Farrakhan drew sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and organizations.
Jackson was also criticized for comments regarding Jewish history and Israel. He faced backlash for statements suggesting he was “sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust,” asserting that it was no worse than the suffering endured by Black Americans during slavery, and claiming that Jews had a “persecution complex.” His approach to Middle East politics, including a 1979 public embrace of PLO chairman Yasir Arafat, angered many American Jews who viewed the PLO as hostile to Israel.
Additional controversy arose from a 1979 column in which Jackson wrote that Jews “dominate the leadership at the top” of the labor movement and blamed “Jewish promoters” for arranging a particular boxing match. The Anti-Defamation League accused him at the time of exhibiting an “anti-Semitic streak,” a charge that lingered in public debate for years.
Despite these disputes, Jackson continued to wield influence in American politics. In 1991, he was elected as one of Washington, D.C.’s “shadow senators,” advocating for D.C. statehood and serving a single term.
He also played a role in negotiating the release of detained Americans abroad. In 1984, he secured the freedom of a U.S. Navy pilot captured by Syria and facilitated the release of at least 16 Americans held in Cuba. In 1990, he helped obtain the release of 700 women and children from Iraq, and in 1999 he negotiated the release of three U.S. soldiers held in Yugoslavia. In recognition of these efforts, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Years later, he assisted in the release of two Gambian Americans imprisoned in The Gambia.
In more recent years, Jackson remained active in public life. He was a vocal supporter of progressive causes and politicians, including endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential race. Sanders said at the time, “It is one of the honors of my life to be supported by a man who has put his life on the line for the last 50 years fighting for justice.”
Jackson also commented frequently on national politics, condemning Donald Trump’s presidency and warning that “Fifty years of civil rights have been threatened.”
He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Brown, whom he married in 1962, and their five children, including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
{Matzav.com}
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On the eve of a pivotal Supreme Court hearing regarding petitions over tefillah arrangements at the Kosel, Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Rav Dovid Yosef and Rav Kalman Ber, submitted an urgent notice along with a detailed halachic ruling clarifying their uncompromising position on preserving the sanctity of the site.
The High Court of Justice is set to convene Tuesday morning to deliberate on petitions challenging the current prayer framework at the Kosel. In advance of the hearing, the Chief Rabbis released a clear and forceful psak addressing the kedushah of the remnant of the Beis Hamikdash.
In their ruling, the chief rabbis state unequivocally that the plaza of the Kosel carries the full halachic status of a beis haknesses, deriving its sanctity from its proximity to the makom haMikdash. As such, they stress, the most stringent halachic standards apply there, including complete separation between men and women during prayer.
The psak also reviews the historical conduct of tefillah at the Kosel across generations, emphasizing that prayer at the site has always followed the mesorah of Klal Yisrael without deviation. Any attempt to alter established practice, they warn, would constitute a severe affront to the feelings of the believing public and to the enduring traditions of Am Yisrael.
The Chief Rabbinate further argues that explicitly halachic and religious matters—particularly the order of prayer at the holiest accessible site for the Jewish people—do not fall within the jurisdiction of civil courts. “It is not possible to decide through legal tools on matters whose roots lie in faith and halachah,” the statement asserts.
The rabbis also point to the existing alternative at the southern section of the Kosel, known as Ezras Yisrael, which allows groups wishing to pray according to different formats to do so. Given that alternative, they contend, there is no justification for transforming the main Kosel plaza into what they describe as a political or social battleground.
Additionally, the Chief Rabbinate expresses firm opposition to any modification of the regulations governing the holy sites. They warn that altering the longstanding arrangements would undermine the status quo and erode the Rabbinate’s exclusive authority in matters of religion.
In an official statement, the Chief Rabbinate declared: “The Kosel is a remnant of our Beis Hamikdash. It is not private property and not a venue for demonstrations. We expect the Court to respect the thousands of years of Jewish tradition and not permit harm to the sanctity of the site and the unity of those who daven there.”
{Matzav.com}
Sharp backlash erupted Monday after media personality Eyal Berkovich made inflammatory remarks about the chareidi community during a live radio broadcast, in the wake of the unrest in Bnei Brak. Speaking on 103FM, the Channel 13 presenter lashed out at those involved in the disturbances and used language that many listeners described as deeply offensive.
During the program, Berkovich addressed the riots that broke out after two IDF servicewomen entered the city, directing harsh criticism at those who attacked soldiers and burned Israeli flags.
“It’s time to finally put an end to these chareidim,” he said. When his co-host, Arel Segal, pressed him to clarify what he meant, Berkovich elaborated and called for a forceful response by authorities.
“There is police, there is an army, there is the Shin Bet, there is everything,” Berkovich said. “What is this thing? To burn Israeli flags, here in the State of Israel? To beat up female soldiers? To call us Nazis? These people need to be exiled from here, they are haters of Israel”.
The most controversial moment of the exchange came when Berkovich escalated his rhetoric and drew a comparison between the extremists in Bnei Brak and terrorist operatives. “They are worse than Arabs, terrorists. They are haters of Israel,” the broadcaster declared.
Segal quickly distanced himself from that comparison and attempted to temper the discussion, responding, “But terrorists shoot, kill and murder. They don’t kill and murder. I have a lot of anger at them.”
{Matzav.com}
A video recorded during Sunday’s unrest in Bnei Brak has sparked widespread reaction after footage showed police officers pulling the wig off a chareidi woman amid efforts to disperse rioters. The clip quickly spread across social media, drawing strong responses from across the political spectrum.
The incident, which occurred during clashes between police and demonstrators, shows officers approaching the woman in the protest area and forcibly removing her wig while carrying out operations against those involved in the disturbances.
The footage ignited a storm online, with many questioning whether such an action was necessary in the course of police activity. Senior political commentator Amit Segal shared the video on his social media platforms and asked, “Is it really necessary to remove wigs from chareidi women as part of police operations?”
On Monday, Arab MK Ahmad Tibi of the Hadash-Ta’al party addressed the matter during a speech in the Knesset plenum, strongly criticizing what was seen in the video. He drew a comparison to incidents involving Muslim women whose hijabs were removed.
“In Yerushalayim, on the light rail, women with hijabs were attacked several times,” Tibi said in the plenum, “and even once a woman’s hijab was removed. It’s terrible, something that must not happen.”
Tibi then turned directly to the events in Bnei Brak. “I will relate to what happened in Bnei Brak in one matter. I saw in the video a police officer striking a woman and removing her wig. This is something that must not happen. Just as I oppose harming a Muslim woman with a hijab, so too I oppose harming a Jewish woman with a wig.”
{Matzav.com}
