The Jews of Color Initiative is proud to serve as a communal thought leader and resource hub for institutional leaders and community members across the United States. Explore op-eds by Ilana Kaufman and JoCI partners, research resources about JoCI’s groundbreaking studies as well from grantees and key partner institutions, holiday resources, and much more!
Our grantees are generating cutting-edge research, creating innovative programs, and advancing the field for Jews of Color. This page shares some of the current opportunities to engage with their work, such as participating in research studies.
Colleagues have shared with me that with the passage of more than two years and the opportunity for reflection, many wish for a post-Oct. 7 “do-over” regarding some leadership decisions. Even in organizations led by the most intentional and compassionate leaders, the workplace is never a completely “safe space” because it is always infused with power dynamics. It is an enormous risk to ask colleagues what they really think and feel about issues most close to our souls, just as it is an enormous risk sometimes to answer those questions honestly.
Watch the recorded webinar between JoCI and JCPA on how strategic partnerships and diverse Jewish leadership can strengthen Jewish safety, solidarity, and civic engagement.
The term Jews of Color, like Bnai Israel, Beta Israel, Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi Jews, is a communal technology which enables Jewish communal cohesion, camaraderie and awareness of our distinctive cultural adaptations in a diasporic context. While impermanent and imperfect, the term helps Jews who also identify as People of Color to find ourselves and each other.
Watch the recorded webinar between JoCI and JCPA on how strategic partnerships and diverse Jewish leadership can strengthen Jewish safety, solidarity, and civic engagement.
If we are serious about building a Jewish future grounded in belonging, we must stop treating reports like endpoints and start seeing them as starting points…What ultimately matters is not how we define and measure Jewish multiculturalism, but how we live it.
You’ve heard of the rabbi shortage, but have you heard of the untapped rabbinical talent pipeline? From my vantage point leading Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy, there are clear solutions in recruiting, cultivating and elevating untapped talent.
Over the past year, JoCI has expanded our reach, sharpened our strategy, and continued to grow a thriving, multiracial Jewish community. From expanding our regional Pro Networks, to elevating JoC-led approaches to fighting antisemitism, to cultivating spaces of belonging and joy, this work is a reflection of all of you—your commitment, your creativity, and your care for our collective future.
Over the past year, JoCI and our partners created meaningful opportunities for leadership and belonging for Jews of Color through dynamic fellowships and programs, forward-thinking dialogue and research, and grants for innovative projects. Take a look at the powerful impact we made together in 2023-2024.
The Jews of Color Initiative continues to play an essential role in the Jewish community. The Jews of Color Initiative is actively restructuring the Jewish communal field to better serve, engage, and follow the leadership of Jews of Color (JoC). Click to read the 2023 Annual Report.
View some of the most essential statistics on Jews of Color and multiracial Jewish families.
View the recording of the entire August 12 launch of Beyond the Count, including panel discussion featuring Ilana Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jews of Color Initiative; Ginna Green, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Uprise; Analucia Lopezrevoredo, Founder and Executive Director of Jewtina y Co.; and Janu Mendel, Executive Director of Repair the World Miami.
This secondary data analysis was designed to further explore the findings on the Latin-Jewish community from the 2021 Study of Jewish LA, commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. This project aims to provide deeper insights and a more nuanced understanding of the Latin-Jewish population, building on the foundation of the original study.
This powerful cohort of ten inspiring projects brings bold, intersectional strategies to the essential work of addressing antisemitism, rooted in the leadership, creativity, and bridge-building insights of Jews of Color.
This report is the first of its kind to comprehensively explore the unique experiences, challenges, and resilience of LGBTQ+ Jews of Color in Jewish spaces. “Threads of Identity” is both a love letter to LGBTQ+ Jews of Color and all the parts of who they are, as well as an offering of actionable steps for the Jewish community to honor the full spectrum of its members by creating spaces where all Jews feel like they belong and that fully embrace LGBTQ+ community members of Color.
This study, conducted by the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund in 2021, shows that 25% of the region’s households have a respondent or spouse who is non-white.
See the finding’s from Pew Research’s 2020 study about Jewish Americans.
But just because Jews of Color have been under-considered by researchers doesn’t mean we’re the first to pay attention to our community. In fact, several studies and other writings paved the way for us—and our research team—to have a foundational understanding of the JoC community.
Using our own familiarity with past studies and connecting with our research team to see which writings on Jews of Color helped inform their knowledge of the community, we’ve developed a list of some research studies and books from the 2000s to today that shaped research on Jews of Color, and on whose shoulders we stand.
Find events, resources, and holiday guides, and more that center Jews of Color for the 2025 | 5786 High Holy Days.
Find events and resources centering Black Jews for Juneteenth 2025
Find Passover events, Haggadah supplements, articles, recipes, and more centering Jews of Color and multiracial Jewish families, with events beginning as early as April 6th!
This powerful cohort of ten inspiring projects brings bold, intersectional strategies to the essential work of addressing antisemitism, rooted in the leadership, creativity, and bridge-building insights of Jews of Color.
While discussing their experiences as people of color in Jewish spaces and in the community as a whole, I heard many experiences similar to mine – and one which was almost exactly identical. Hearing the experiences of these panelists affirmed many of my own experiences as a Jewish person of color, and this was incredibly validating. I am thankful to have been a part of this safe space to both listen and share with confidence.
Have a project focused on Jews of Color? Learn about our grantmaking and follow this guide on how to submit a grant application to the JoCI
The Jews of Color Initiative is thrilled to be a supporting partner of Leading Edge presents JPro25 in partnership with Jewish Federations of North America! We invite you to connect with JoCI’s Ilana Kaufman, Arya Marvazy, and Jordan Daniels at the following sessions and touchpoints.
