The Jews of Color Initiative released findings today of the largest study ever conducted of Jews of Color, “Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color” . “Beyond the Count” tallied data from 1,118 JoC survey respondents and 61 JoC interview participants, gleaned from in-depth Zoom and phone interviews and a comprehensive online survey.
The report is a illustrative record of the demographic, religious, and communal diversity of Jews of Color: the majority of us (66%) are bi-or multi-racial, 42% of us identify as Ashkenazi, 67% of us were raised Jewish, 64% of us have at least one Jewish parent, 31% of us converted as adults. A full 34% of respondents identified as LGBT. We are almost equally divided on Israel: 32% of respondents say that “caring about Israel” was “very important”, 32% say it is “not at all important” or “not too important”. And, as people of color have been taught to do in many contexts, 45% of respondents reported “code switching” – changing “how they speak, dress, or present themselves in predominately white Jewish spaces.”
One of the more striking findings of the study was reported discrimination in Jewish spaces: 80% of Jews of Color surveyed reported having “experienced discrimination in Jewish settings”. 54% experienced this in a synagogue. As Robin Washington points out in the Forward, these numbers are “not exactly news. Jews of color have been pointing out those failings for years.” And as far as inclusion is concerned, only 51% of Jews of Color agreed “they have felt a sense of belonging among white Jews”.
The Jews of Color Initiative concludes its study findings with four recommendations for Jewish institutions seeking to contribute to communities inclusive of all American Jews, including supporting “organizations and initiatives led by and serving Jews of Color” and diversifying Jewish organizational leadership (“Organizations need to evaluate and change their hiring and recruitment processes to increase racial equity so they can better serve all American Jews”, the study notes.)
As Jews of Color Initiative’s Executive Director Ilana Kaufman told the JTA:
For anyone who cares about sustaining and building a strong Jewish community, the data in “Beyond the Count” should be both concerning and energizing. Racism connected to our communal institutions and our individual actions has caused harm, and this harm has sometimes pushed away Jews of color and detached them from Jewish identity, from Jewish community and ultimately from what should be an unobstructed pathway to Torah.
As Ilana Kaufman notes, this data must go “beyond serving as a starting point for important conversations in our community” – many of the real-life anecdotes related in the survey show that such a conversation is long overdue. This data should serve as a catalyst not only for organizational change, but also for changes in interpersonal relationships: things like casually asking one’s conversion status or assuming one’s familial background should become taboo in Jewish communities. Jews of Color should be appreciated as whole individuals with sensitivities and Jewish values no less valid than that of any other member of the community. This data shows, mere representation is not enough to make one feel welcome: creating Jewish spaces where one feels able to “express all sides of themselves” (which only 41% of Jews of Color experience now) should be a goal for every Jewish communal organization.
(Disclosure: TribeHerald was the recipient of a Jews of Color Initiative grant during our Winter 2020/2021 appeal.)