Last month, the Jews of Color Initiative announced a new series of grants awarded to 10 organizations and initiatives that are working to address antisemitism in thoughtful, creative and community-rooted ways.
Grantees include The Braid, Correlate JOC, The Crown Heights Birth Justice Project, Jewtina y Co., The LUNAR Collective, Leveraging the Experiences of Jews of Color to Combat Antisemitism in Higher Education, Mitsui Collective, Moving Traditions, The Shalom Curriculum Project and Tzedek America.
“These projects range widely in approach — some are training emerging leaders, others are using unexpected tools like card games to open up conversation,” Gabi Kuhn, managing director of Jews of Color Initiative (JoCI) told The Journal. “We’re also investing in educational programming, narrative-shifting research and multilingual, cross-cultural bridge-building efforts that engage both Jewish and/or non-Jewish communities.“
She added, “What ties it all together is that every project centers the voices and leadership of Jews of Color, approaching the work through a community-led lens.”
The Braid, for instance, will produce recipe videos and a filmed Shabbat conversation, accompanied by a nationally distributed Shabbat dinner discussion guide. They will also host an in-person screening of this new series.
Following The Braid’s incredibly successful “StoryNosh: Tastes of Tradition” digital series, which was also generously supported in part by the Jews of Color Initiative, is a new series, titled “StoryNosh: Tastes of Resilience.”
“Tastes of Tradition” saw families preparing recipes together, showing how coming together around the cutting board can open participants up to more honest and vulnerable conversations. It garnered more than 70,000 views on social media.
“We are excited to expand this series to take on the challenges of antisemitism and racism,” David Chiu, marketing and communications manager at The Braid, told The Journal. “For this new series, which we’ve titled “StoryNosh: Tastes of Resilience,” all of the cooks will gather together for a Shabbat dinner.
“As they enjoy each other’s cuisine and company, they’ll find opportunities to open up even more, getting real about how hate impacts them personally and self-reflective about what they can do better to build bridges,” he said.
The Braid’s hope is that these filmed conversations will model and inspire how to discuss the difficult topics of antisemitism and racism in ways that are respectful and productive.
“I think it’s clear from the last couple years that we need fresh ideas on how to combat antisemitism, especially ones adapted for our multicultural world,” he said. “Living at the crossroads of identities, we Jews of Color have a unique perspective … so I couldn’t be more excited about JoCI’s strategy to support these ten initiatives; The Braid is deeply honored to be among them.”
The LUNAR Collective will train fellows to identify and address antisemitism and support them in leading regional workshops that build bridges among Asian, Asian- Jewish and Jewish communities.
“The LUNAR Horizons initiative will give our Leading Light Fellows critical training, practice and experience on how to dismantle antisemitic rhetoric in communal spaces,” Maryam Chishti, co-executive director of The LUNAR Collective, told The Journal. “It allows our young Asian Jewish leaders to empower themselves, and in turn, their local hub community, to be better advocates against the tide of rising antisemitism.”
Chishti said she is really excited about giving their fellows both the training to really speak about how antisemitism and anti-Asian hate are correlated and why these communities should be in closer dialogue.
Their goals include giving Asian Jews space to collectively process, grieve and heal from experiences of antisemitism; empowering Asian Jews to feel unapologetically and unconditionally Jewish, so they show up as their full selves in all communities; present and lead engaging and easily replicable models of intercultural bridge- building, that represent the needs of each local community; allow Jews and Asian Americans to repair their communal relationships, rebuild trust and establish true, lasting allyship during this critical time for both communities; and plant seeds of continued solidarity for future generations.
“From my experience working between these two communities, they are contending with a lot of the same issues in this country, while simultaneously sharing so many cultural values and core beliefs — including education, family obligation and food,” she said. “There is so much potential for greater partnership between the Jewish and AAPI communities, and I see no organization more poised for this moment than LUNAR.”
In the selection process, JoCI was looking for projects that brought bold ideas, a strong community connection and the ability to create real impact.
“We prioritized initiatives that demonstrated innovation, clear theories of change, meaningful communal partnerships and a strong commitment to evaluation, learning and adaptation,” Kuhn said. “Most importantly, we sought out work rooted in the lived experience and leadership of Jews of Color, knowing those perspectives are essential (and too often missing) in our broader conversations about antisemitism. We wanted to support leaders who are not only asking the hard questions, but who are actively building new models for communal response, engagement, and healing.”
Grantee leaders will meet quarterly in a JoCI-facilitated cohort to learn together and deepen the impact of their work through thought partnership and peer support. At the conclusion of the year-long program, they will share their learnings with each other and the broader Jewish community.
“We hope this work opens up new ways for people to think about and respond to antisemitism, especially where it intersects with race and identity,” she said. “JoC leaders have the power to shift narratives, challenge assumptions and foster the kind of deep, honest conversations that move communities forward together.”
“In our current moment of rising antisemitism and deepening polarization, innovative and community-strengthening responses are more essential than ever,” said Ilana Kaufman, CEO of JoCI. “These projects demonstrate how Jews of Color are not only reshaping the conversation around antisemitism, but also leading the way in building stronger, more connected and more just communities for all.”
For more information, go to JewsofColorInitiative.org.
