20 Comments

    1. Thank you for your question! I was motivated to do this research out of my own experiences, and the lack of research regarding this topic. I am personally fascinated by the intersection of race and other identities, and wanted to conduct research on something that would help create more equitable spaces.

  2. This is incredible research! 12-15% is a pretty considerable percentage of JOC, and yet I don’t think I have ever seen a JOC in media or in my day to day life. How the media portrays groups of people can have a powerful effect on how we see each other, and its downright shameful that your experiences are not represented. Do you have plans to apply this research for advocacy and to increase representation, and what can people of non-Jewish faith traditions do to improve this problem?

    1. Hi Tania, great question! I absolutely agree with you; representation is crucial for groups to feel seen and understood. I am hoping to use the results of this research to help educate Jewish spaces on the experiences of their JOC members, or JOCs in their communities who do not necessarily feel welcomed into their local Jewish spaces. I am also hoping to be able to use the results as a resource tool to help Jewish spaces implement anti-racist practices into their communities.

      Those who do not identify as Jewish can also help shift the narrative and experiences of discrimination of JOCs. I think an important first step is recognizing and research the diversity of Judaism, despite the lack of media representation.

  3. Very interesting. It is something to think that racism and discrimination can cross into the realm of religion. During your interviews, were there any trends in why one’s Jewishness might be challenged?

  4. Hi Aaron, thank you for your question! So far I have noticed some trends. For the white Jews that I interviewed, many of the questions/challenges to their Judaism they received had to do with their personal practices. Judaism has different denominations that often prioritize or practice different things. For the white Jews, most of the challenges came from other Jewish people, often from a different denomination than themselves, who were questioning/challenging their practices. However for the Jews of Color that I interviewed, it seems that most the questions/challenges to their Judaism were based in racial assumptions. They were often asked questions about who they were related to, if they were adopted, if they converted, etc. because many people, both Jewish and non Jewish, hold the assumption that Jewish people are white.

  5. Many years ago (40-50) there was a small community of Ethiopian Jews in Cincinnati. I don’t know if they are still there, but they had their own synagogue. I spoke with a few of them, and they indicated that there was a larger community in NY. I remember asking a lot of questions. One man said that they were descendants of the Queen of Sheba. This was my first introduction to JOC. Thank you for researching this!

  6. Very interesting presentation. This too was the first time I’ve heard or thought of JOC and the impact. Thank you for sharing this research.

  8. Hi Jade, this research is super interesting. Most, if not all, of my knowledge about Jewish people comes from popular media. I had never thought twice about what it means to be Jewish for Jewish people from different racial groups. This was very enlightening thank you!

    1. Hi Ana! That is a really valid experience, most people tend to get their knowledge about Judaism and Jewish people from popular media. Thank you for taking the time to check out this research and learn more about the diversity of Jewishness!

  9. In another comment you mentioned using the results of this research to educate Jewish spaces and implement anti-racist practices. When applying these results, do you think the most effective channel for change will be to implement top-down policy shifts or by changing community attitudes through education? How could the two interact to bring about positive change?

    1. Hi Vaughn, great question. I think that in regards to anti-racism and social justice in all spaces, the best way to approach effective change is to use an all encompassing approach. In Jewish spaces, I believe that implementing top-down policy shifts in combination with changing community attitudes at large through education will absolutely bring about positive change. Having both of these methods interact will allow community members to not only hold themselves accountable to confront their biases and work towards active anti-racism, but hold the people in their community as well.

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