The Jews of Color Initiative is transforming Jewish communal life for Jews of Color through its JoC Professional Networks in New York City, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. These gatherings provide an essential entry point for JoC to experience belonging and skillbuilding in the Jewish communal ecosystem, many for the first time. At their core, the JoC Professional Networks (Pro Networks) create spaces where Jews of Color can show up as their authentic selves for connection and explore opportunities to strengthen their leadership.
The JoC Pro Networks are designed to foster personal and professional growth and collective learning regardless of professional background or prior involvement in the Jewish community. With support from generous regional donors– Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, UJA-Federation of New York, and the Rodan Family Foundation– each Network offers a unique yet consistent experience: opportunities to develop leadership capacities while strengthening relationships with other local JoC adults. The energy and atmosphere of these gatherings are rooted in joy, camaraderie, individual growth, and collective reflection, offering participants a chance to process lived experiences, explore how to thrive in a multiracial Jewish community, and workshop evolving project and program ideas among a supportive collective.
Creating Space for Authentic Belonging
One of the most impactful aspects of the JoC Pro Networks is that JoC can show up, be seen, and be heard without needing to navigate the challenges of tokenization or isolation. “The JoC LA Pro Network allows us to be our most authentic selves,” said Veronica Andersen, a participant of the LA Pro Network.
Participants often describe Pro Network gatherings as places of healing and joy, where they can experience Jewish life among a welcoming and energized group of JoC. The structure of the gatherings invites participants to share their journeys and form lasting connections with guidance from session facilitators. Andersen, who once viewed herself as a passive participant, found her perspective changed by her experience in the LA Pro Network: “I did not consider myself a leader. I was content to be a passive participant—I simply wanted to be around other JoC. What I took away, though, was a sense that I could change the culture at my synagogue and be a leader. I’ve become more active in the wider Jewish community [here]. I attribute a large portion of my increased engagement to the support of the LA Pro Network community.”
Arya Marvazy, Senior Director of Programs at the Jews of Color Initiative, explains how these regional networks are intentionally designed to strengthen connections within local JoC communities and the wider Jewish communal ecosystem of each region: “These regional professional networks provide a strategic, low-barrier entry point into Jewish communal life for individuals who may have felt outside of or on the periphery of the community,” says Arya Marvazy, Senior Program Director at the Jews of Color Initiative. “In every region where we’ve launched these programs, we’re not only seeing a flourishing, well-networked, and highly activated JoC community but also powerful connections being made with broader Jewish communal institutions. Participants are meeting at the networks and also connecting to the wider Jewish ecosystem of their region. We hope to expand into other areas with vibrant JoC life and regional partners eager to bring these experiences to life.”
Professional Growth and Collective Impact
While each JoC Pro Network shares similar structure and programmatic content, the gatherings in each city are imbued with the specific character and needs of each community. Led by talented JoC facilitators and educators, the sessions encourage breadth and depth of professional development, candid conversation, informal networking, reflection and discussion. Recent sessions have covered themes like applying a JoC and Judaic approach to leadership, embodied Jewish resilience, and realizing and actualizing one’s goals.
As a facilitator of an LA Pro Network session, Sophia Morgan focused on helping participants narrow the gap between aspirations and realities. “The Pro Network is a breeding ground for us to grow within ourselves as individuals and with each other, and then also bring that back out to the community,” says Morgan. Initially a participant in the LA Pro Network, Morgan was inspired to apply for a grant through the JoCI’s Los Angeles grants cycle. Now as a grantee and through their evolving connection to the Network, they were able to contribute to the LA community as a Pro Network facilitator. “I can feel the direct growth in me that was caused by the people in the Pro Network seeing me and understanding my gifts, encouraging me, supporting the vision that I have, and really believing in and uplifting community members.”
For many participants, the Pro Network offers much more than professional connections. Sage Cassel-Rosenberg, a facilitator of a NYC session, reflects on how the Pro Network combats the isolation many JoC experience in Jewish communal life: “As a JoC in professional settings, people treat you as the one and only… but [the Pro Network] reminds me that while sometimes it feels like we’re few in spaces, we’re not the only ones. The Network allowed me to see that it’s more than just me.” Cassel-Rosenberg also emphasizes the value of building relationships in person: “It’s amazing to connect with JoC in person without having to scour the internet. The Network offers this amazing ground where folks can connect and revel in the fact that we’re not the only ones.”
A participant at the Bay Area Pro Network, Odelia Jesselson, shared the powerful experience of attending their first session: “Being in this space allowed me to explore my identity while learning from others. We were able to talk about our shared experiences which I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else. Although this was only my first time, I will definitely be returning.”
Looking Ahead
As the JoC Professional Networks continue to grow and deepen our impact across regions, JoCI remains steadfast in our commitment to fostering leadership and belonging for Jews of Color. For participants like Liora Harvin in NYC, the impact is personal and transformative. She has one recommendation for anyone considering attending a Pro Network gathering: “Open up and know it’s a safe space…we’re all different but we can all be different together.”
The Networks are more than just an opportunity for professional advancement—they offer an essential space of JoC belonging that facilitates strong connections with peers and oneself. “You can step up authentically,” says Harvin, encapsulating the powerful message of empowerment shared by many Pro Network members.
Looking ahead, the JoCI Pro Networks will continue to play a critical role in shaping the future of Jewish communal life, empowering more JoC to engage in community and leadership roles with confidence, authenticity, and a powerful sense of self.
Inspired by the impact of our JoC Professional Networks? Consider making a donation to help us reach even more community members.
