Joshua Washington brings a ‘Journey of Healing’ to the South Hills

Joshua Washington’s mother and father helped instill his love of Judaism and Israel.

“We grew up observing Shabbat as a family. We grew up having Passover seders as a family,” he said.

Given that, it might be surprising to learn that Washington, a musician and singer, isn’t Jewish. Nonetheless, he said it was important to both his parents — but especially his father — to expose and immerse the family in Jewish traditions.

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“It was really important to him that we understood our faith as Christians is really an outgrowth of Jewish faith,” said Washington, a California native. “That’s something I grew up having an understanding and appreciation for.”

Washington will bring his love for Jewish traditions and Israel, and his music, to Pittsburgh on Feb. 5 at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. The program, “Journey to Healing: A Concert of Resilience and Hope,” features the Hudra Quartet and is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, which provided a grant in support of the concert, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, Temple Emanuel and StandWithUs.

Washington is director of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel.

Founded in 2013 by his father, Dumisani, IBSI is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Israel and the Jewish people and people of African descent through education and advocacy. The institute condemns the “Zionism is racism” ideology, defends Israel’s right to live in peace with its Arab neighbors and seeks to help cultivate a mutually beneficial Israel-Africa alliance, according to its website.

Washington has worked with IBSI since its founding, first as its special events coordinator then assistant director, before taking the helm of the organization.

The second oldest of six children, Washington, who was homeschooled, grew up with a love of music taught by his father. He later attended the University of the Pacific, where he majored in music composition. The education he gained playing music in churches while growing up, he said, was as valuable as his formal education.

“Having the skills of playing the piano and learning how to follow singers, learning how to lead worship and direct choirs and bands, that really helped me to what I do now,” he said.

While in college, Washington got more involved in “Israel advocacy,” he said, including visiting the Jewish state several times. He began speaking out in support of Israel around 2016.

Washington said a pivotal moment came while on campus.

“I remember seeing posters saying, ‘kids are being bombed,’ we need to raise money for them, and ‘Israel is committing genocide.’ I was raised as a critical thinker and that really didn’t give any information, so I did my own research,” he said.

Washington learned about Israel’s work to minimize civilian casualties, which ignited a passion inside of him to share information with others, he said.

“Some people want to hear,” he said, “and some people don’t.”

Despite the talk of a schism between the Black and Jewish communities, Washington said, in his experience the Black community either doesn’t know much about Israel or supports it.

“The tensions exist, but they have been amplified,” he said. “What we’ve found is that people are a blank slate when it comes to this and so it gives us an opportunity to do what we do. For a lot of people, it blows their doors off.”

Washington’s support of Israel and the Jewish people is more than window dressing on a music career. He’s visited the country seven times and his South African wife, Olga, who died earlier this year, is buried there.

“She was a huge voice for Israel and the Jewish people against the hijacking of the apartheid narrative,” he said. “She was a dynamic speaker and writer and lawyer that spoke at the U.N. several times.”

Olga’s love of Israel, he said, has made his connection to the land “much deeper. And it makes my advocacy stronger.”

Washington’s “Journey to Healing” concert will feature music from the tour he put together after his wife died. The program will include songs and a Q&A with StandWithUs’ Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Julie Paris.

Paris stated that Washington, along with his late wife, has been part of the StandWithUs “family” for many years.

“They’re allies and partners in the work of supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism through education,” she said.

It was at a StandWithUs event that Paris first heard Washington sing.

“I was blown away both by his music and his message, and said I need to bring him to our region,” she said.

The concert, Paris said, is a “powerful evening of uplifting music and storytelling, showing what it means to be a partner and ally in the struggles that both of our communities are facing right now.”

The moderated conversation following the concert will touch on the relationship between the Jewish and Black communities, Israel, extremism and more.

Paris urges people to bring friends to the program, especially those outside of the Jewish community. Washington’s music, she said, “weaves a message that includes Jerusalem and the story of Zionism and why it matters, in addition to his personal journey and the challenges he’s faced with the loss of his wife and being a single father of two.”

She said the idea is to plant seeds and engage in vital conversations.

“We want to amplify these messages and bring in people who are curious, who want to learn and maybe wouldn’t come otherwise,” she said. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.