At UCLA, two student leaders are creating new opportunities for Jews of Color. Funded by a grant from the Jews of Color Initiative, Aiden Moseley and Jonathan Cohn co-founded the Jews of Color program through Hillel at UCLA—an initiative dedicated to fostering community and amplifying JoC voices on campus.
Grantee feature
Two projects, both supported by grants from our Intergenerational Relationships for Cultural Preservation RFP, beautifully illustrate how food transmits cultural identity l’dor vador — from generation to generation.
In the four years since its founding, Mosaic Visions has evolved and grown into a dynamic organization that facilitates community discussions around social justice, inclusion, and spiritual practice.
Collectively, these three studies conducted by JoCI grantees demonstrate the power of research as a tool for advocacy, ultimately driving tangible impacts on community offerings.
“Our Journey Towards Healing” is grounded in Jewish spirituality and aims to create a supportive environment where participants can express and explore their experiences of trauma. "The purpose of the program is to come together as JoC; to be able to express the trauma we live with every day by giving and receiving tools to one another," explains Ghidalia.
By assessing barriers to end-of-life care, riddick’s study is geared towards the creation of resources for JoC that can help them navigate end-of-life processes, rituals, and mourning with greater care.
With a keen focus on JoC (Jews of Color) family units—for young children, parents, and congregational educators—Kolker's project, “We Belong At the Table,” harnesses the power of community programming, research, and web archival work to document, showcase, and disseminate diverse culinary traditions within Jewish communities.
Looking ahead, Mansour and Williams are optimistic about the future of JoC Cleveland and its role in shaping a more diverse and inclusive Jewish community. Through their efforts to bridge diversity and foster unity, they are paving the way for a more vibrant and resilient Jewish community in Cleveland
“The Midwest tends to be a really underserved region for Jews in general, but specifically for Jews of Color,” Crichlow Silva explained. McKinney-Baldon and Crichlow Silva—as well as the rest of the Edot team—are Midwesterners themselves, and believe that uplifting JoC leaders in the Midwest is essential for a thriving future for the region’s Jewish community.
SMQN’s Shabbat dinners create an environment where folks do not need to check any part of their identities at the door—where people’s Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage will be embraced, along with their queer identities. The dinners are also a time when we can take ownership of, and reclaim, our connection to Shabbat in a welcoming and affirming space.