Commemorating the 85th Anniversary of the Boyle Heights Anti-Nazi Parade of November 22, 1938

The Boyle Heights Anti-Nazi Parade of 1938: How our multiracial Eastside communities responded to the Jewish refugee crisis!
On the 85th anniversary of the march and rally, on Wednesday, November 28, 2023, Shmuel Gonzales (the Barrio Boychik), the founder of the Boyle Heights Chavurah and Boyle Heights History Studios & Tours, and the current President of the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, recorded this video about the importance of the event and its enduring lessons for the Left, the Jewish community, the Eastside, and all of our communities. Enjoy!
Cinematography and editing by Matthew David Hom, the Faith-Rooted Organizer in Los Angeles and Santa Monica at Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE).
We also want to share so much gratitude to Dr. Caroline Luce of UCLA, not only for her support and collaboration, but also for her game-changing scholarship, research, teaching and public outreach on/about Boyle Heights and its Jewish Leftist community histories, including the November 22, 1938 Anti-Nazi Parade. Learn more about Caroline's work at carolineluce.com.
Learn more about the Anti-Nazi Parade at bit.ly/boyleheightsnov1938.
Join our historical and cultural tours of Los Angeles!: bit.ly/barrioboychiktours.
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On the night of Tuesday, November 22nd, 1938, the Jewish communities of the Eastside of Los Angeles were joined by their diverse community allies and neighbors in Boyle Heights, to protest the Nazi savagery being inflicted on the Jews of Germany and Austria in the days following the eruptions of Kristallnacht - the Night of Broken Glass.
On this historic night, more than 15,000 people of all backgrounds came out and marched down Brooklyn Avenue (now Avenida César Chávez) to the Breed Street Shul for an anti-fascist solidarity rally. They came out not only to protest the Nazi savagery abroad, but also the openly fascist and white nationalists movements that were active in Los Angeles and throughout America. They connected these struggles to the systemic oppressions of white supremacy in Southern California that manifested themselves through racism, housing segregation and discrimination, oppressive policing, economic exploitation and more.
The Anti-Nazi Parade of November 22, 1938 not only represented the achievements of disparate and often at-odds Jewish leftists groups in the neighborhood, as they worked together for the broad mobilization of the general public against fascism. It was also a transformational moment in the development of coalitions between white Jewish justice advocates and Latino, Black and Asian communities on the Eastside were fostered and sustained in the decades to come through the Chicano Movement and so much more.

[@_dan_gutierrez]

Great work Shmuel! It is important to not forget, and remind people today, that in 1938, one of the more enlightened communities in the United States was right here in Boyle Heights, protesting NAZI atrocities. It wasn't until I started researching the history of Boyle Heights for one of my stair-walking loops in the area, did I find your excellent Barrio Boychik articles and videos. Keep up the great work!