New Jews of Color network in Washtenaw
By Deborah Meyers Greene
West Bloomfield has one, Chicago has at least one, New York City has several, along with countless other cities and towns in the United States. Now Washtenaw will, too.
A Jews of Color network of greater Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County is getting together and, if you self-identify as a Jew of Color or BIPOC Jew, you are encouraged to check it out. Affiliated with a congregation or not; observant or not; GenZ, Millennial, GenX, Boomers, and Silent Generation — all are welcome.
Why? Because we are here and getting together is good.
It is fair to guess that 800–1000 Jews of Color live in the greater Ann Arbor area.
The 2021 Pew Research Center study of Jewish Americans in 2020 found that 15% of Jewish adults in the United States under 30 years old are Hispanic, Black, Asian, another nonwhite race or multiracial; 12% among ages 30 to 39; 4% among ages 50 to 64; and 3% of Jews 65 and older are nonwhite.
Beyond the Count, a 2021 national survey commissioned by the Jews of Color Initiative, found that a preponderance of respondents, 46%, said it was very important to be able to talk about the experience of being a Jew of Color with other Jews of Color. However, 36% of them had no such friends. Together, we can do something about that for each other.
Regional and national profile organizations like the Jews of Color Initiative, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Edot, the Midwest Regional Jewish Diversity and Racial Justice Collaborative, have determined that peer networks provide critical opportunities for Jews of Color to find mutual support, information, and awareness, or to simply socialize.
So, let’s get started.
Connect at jewsofcolorwashtenaw.org. Let us know who you are, what’s on your mind, what sort of activities or events you’re interested in, and when you typically would be available to get together.
Let’s talk about it.
