1. His Black–Jewish advocacy predates October 7
At the UJA-Federation of New York’s Wall Street Dinner on December 5, 2022, Jones began his keynote address with the following statement:
“I apologize for the silence of my community.”
In the talk, he addressed the concern regarding the failure of prominent Black voices to respond forcefully enough to rising antisemitism. His particular concern was the lack of a response after Kanye West’s statements praising Hitler and attacking Jews. Jones promised that “the silence is over” and a stronger Black response to anti-Jewish hatred would be furthered. He then devoted much of the speech to the historic Black–Jewish civil-rights alliance. He spoke about his Jewish godmother, Dorothy “Dottie” Zellner, who had been active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also praised the role Jewish activists played in the fight against Jim Crow. He argued that Black and Jewish Americans helped shape American democracy as they stood together in support of one another through some of the country’s most difficult moments.
This speech matters because it was delivered 10 months before October 7, 2023. His concern for Black–Jewish relations was therefore not merely a reaction to the Gaza war.
2. He founded the EXODUS Leadership Forum
Jones founded the EXODUS Leadership Forum, an organization specifically intended to renew the historic alliance among Black, Jewish, and Black-Jewish leaders, combat antisemitism and racism, reduce polarization and strengthen democratic cooperation. Its “EXODUS Over Dinner” program brings members of the communities together for structured conversations about history, prejudice, Israel and other difficult issues.
By January 2026, those dinners were taking place in multiple cities. Jones told the Forward that EXODUS expected to host more than 300 dinners in 2026 together with local organizations. The dinners gave participants an opportunity to share their personal experiences. This, of course, is a key ingredient in building solidarity. The meeting then turned to more difficult political disagreements.
Jones’s leadership and organizational ability were on display as he built an organization, created programs, brought leaders together, and risked his own reputation to repair the relationship.
3. His “Five H’s” framework explicitly includes Israel
On October 7, 2024, Jones published “The Five H’s of the Black-Jewish Alliance.” His five subjects were:
- The humanitarian crisis in Gaza
- The hostages
- Hate crimes
- Hamas
- Homeland
Jones argued that Black Americans could oppose Netanyahu’s conduct of the war while still standing with Jewish Americans and Israelis, demanding the hostages’ release, rejecting Hamas and opposing antisemitic violence. Most importantly, he stated:
“The Palestinians need a secure homeland. The Israelis need a secure homeland.”
He also rejected the proposition that Jews should be the one people denied a right to a secure homeland. That is an explicit affirmation of Jewish national self-determination—not merely support for the personal safety of American Jews.
This is probably the clearest intersection between his Black-Jewish work and his pro-Israel position.
4. He brought Black leaders to Auschwitz
In January 2025, Jones led an EXODUS–Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation delegation to Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The delegation included Black leaders and was intended to deepen Holocaust education and Black–Jewish understanding.
In June 2025, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation honored Jones at its 25th-anniversary gala for his work promoting Black–Jewish relations. Jones used the occasion to praise Jewish civil-rights activists who, shortly after the Holocaust, traveled to the American South to oppose segregation. He described the combination of the Black commitment to “justice for all” and the Jewish commitment to repairing the world as a “double helix of hope.”
5. He organized a national Black–Jewish convening
From May 28–30, 2026, the EXODUS Leadership Forum and the Redstone Family Foundation brought more than 100 Black, Jewish and Black-Jewish clergy, educators, activists, philanthropists and cultural figures together in Miami. The gathering addressed antisemitism, racism, difficult political “wedge” issues and the future of Black–Jewish cooperation.
The convening produced a draft national strategy organized around five areas: historical education, trust-building, public narratives of Black–Jewish cooperation, coordination among organizations and expanded collective advocacy.
That represents institutional and strategic coalition-building, not simply ceremonial friendship.
6. He has challenged anti-Zionism within progressive circles
Zioness, an organization that identifies itself as both progressive and Zionist, features an endorsement from Jones. In it, Jones warns that parts of the progressive movement contain:
“anti-Jewish hatred that parades under these terms of ‘anti-Zionist’”
He praised Zioness for helping progressives understand the issue and how to respond to that rhetoric with greater confidence. This is particularly significant because Jones is not merely denouncing neo-Nazis or conventional antisemitism from the right. He is challenging the use of anti-Zionist language to marginalize Jews within his own progressive political community.
7. Jewish institutions have formally recognized this work
In June 2026, Jones joined the Genesis Prize Foundation’s advisory board. The foundation stated that he would focus particularly on strengthening the Black–Jewish alliance and broadening opposition to antisemitism and other forms of hatred. The foundation seeks to strengthen Jewish identity, as well as deepen the relationship between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.