Some Syrian Jews might consider themselves Jews of color others would not. They may have been adopted by Ashkenazi parents. They may be born into families with two Jewish parents of color or be the products of multiracial, multiethnic or multifaith unions. Jews of color come from all kinds of backgrounds. Understand that Jews of color are not monolithic “The more discussions we have about these topics, the more likely everyone will be able to recognize when discrimination is happening in their own community,” she said. White Jews simply don’t have “the lived experience to understand the effects of racism and discrimination” on a personal level, said Avital, and that’s why it’s important to talk about it. “A lot of Jews think that because we’ve experienced oppression, we can automatically understand what it means to experience racial discrimination. “Take time to understand your own bias and the ways in which you’ve been socialized to view race,” Avital said.
She also has worked with the Jewish Federations to help audiences understand the intersection of Black and Jewish identity, and with the Greensboro Jewish Federation to help the community disrupt systematic racism experienced by the Black community, eliminate microaggressions (unintentional slights that can be read as derogatory) and educate Jews about their responsibilities in being allies of Black Americans. “Or when they greet non-whites at the synagogue, they assume these people are new when in fact they’ve been there all along.”Īvital, who is herself a Jew of color, is one of 10 fellows at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s Center for Jewish Ethics, a program that focuses specifically on race, religion and American Judaism, and an early supporter of JEDI. “People make the assumption that because a person is not white that they converted to Judaism,” said Buffie Avital, a psychology professor at North Carolina’s Elon University and a board member of Beth David Synagogue in Greensboro.
White Jews might not realize that many Jews of color are tired of - or offended by - questions about their family background. Black Jews might be greeted at synagogue as if it’s their first time or, worse, mistaken for staff - even when they’re regular worshippers or lay leaders. Many white Jews don’t quite understand the challenges Jews of color face, or how normative American Judaism can have baked-in biases that may make Jews of color feel excluded.įor example, Jewish children’s books might not have any characters of color. Here are a few things important to keep in mind about Jews of color. The idea is not only to ensure that Jewish organizations like federations recruit, retain and advance Jews of color, but also to teach Jewish communities the steps necessary to make sure Jews of color are not marginalized in any way. Known by the acronym JEDI, the initiative was launched in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 by Minneapolis police and the nationwide racial reckoning that followed.īecause the Jewish Federations represents 146 federations around North America - which themselves function as the central Jewish leadership and philanthropic arm for their communities - Jewish Federations’ JEDI work is having a ripple effect on Jewish communities large and small. Two years ago, Rothstein, 33, created an initiative with the Jewish Federations of North America, where he works as a rabbinic scholar and public affairs advisor, to promote Jewish equity, diversity and inclusion. “Many have distanced themselves from or have left the Jewish community altogether as a result, taking their gifts, talents, skills and perspectives elsewhere.” “Many Jewish people of color do not feel welcome, or treated as part of the Jewish community and, worse, feel the pain of racism inflicted on them by the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, one of just a handful of Black Orthodox rabbis in the United States. Yet Jews of color often feel marginalized at all levels of Jewish communal life. Whatever the exact percentage, the number of people of color or non-European descent in the American Jewish community is growing. Other surveys have found that the proportion may be as high as 15%. Jews describe themselves as Black, Hispanic, Asian or indigenous, and another 4% are Sephardi or Mizrahi, according to a 2020 survey of American Jews by the Pew Research Center.
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