Press

The Jews of Color Initiative is a voice for change across the Jewish community. See how the JoCI is impacting the field.

Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh Hosts Discussion on Black-Jewish Ties

Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh Hosts Discussion on Black-Jewish Ties

“A lot of white liberal Jews found [the book] and wanted to learn,” said Dollinger. “I did 130 Zoom classes on Jews and race and four lectures in 15 weeks.” But then Dollinger shared his book with Ilana Kaufman, founder and CEO of the Jews of Color Initiative, and everything changed.

April 10, 2025
How the Jews of Color Initiative Is Funding Work for a More Inclusive Jewish Community

How the Jews of Color Initiative Is Funding Work for a More Inclusive Jewish Community

In recent years, Jewish communal leaders and philanthropists have come to recognize that the American Jewish community—widely presumed to be white-skinned and Ashkenazi (from Central and Eastern Europe)—is far more diverse than they imagined. With the help of philanthropic partners, the Jews of Color Initiative, a Berkeley, California-based fund led by Executive Director Ilana Kaufman, is raising consciousness about underserved Jews of color and working to create a more inclusive and welcoming ecosystem in the organized American Jewish community.

November 11, 2021
Largest study ever of Jews of color reports widespread discrimination

Largest study ever of Jews of color reports widespread discrimination

American Jews of color say their racial and ethnic identities shape their Jewishness in important, positive ways, but that they also face bigotry in settings where white Jews predominate, according to a study released Thursday, the largest-ever of this group.

November 11, 2021
Work remains to build a more inclusive Jewish community

Work remains to build a more inclusive Jewish community

In a 1963 speech in Chicago attended by Martin Luther King Jr., theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously described racism as an “eye disease, a cancer of the soul … making us see the generality of race, but not the uniqueness of the human face.”

November 11, 2021