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Right-Placing Racial Justice and Diversity in Religious School

January 10, 2023

Presentation created and delivered by Gulienne Rollins-Rishon for USCJ in partnership with JEA Limmud Series

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Prioritized Values to Guide our Discussion

We are all made in the image of G-d. We are also all only human. Fallibility and learning are the name of the game.

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Shemirat HaLashon

Intend respect. Guard your tongue but be brave; intend respect with what you’re saying, but it’s ok to say it badly in service of learning.

Dan L’Kaf Zechut

B’tzelem Elokim

Assume Respect was Intended

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What are you hoping to achieve today?

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You Will Be Able To

Have conversations with stakeholders about inclusion efforts for Jews of Color

Have conversations with stakeholders about Racial Justice as a Torah Value

Understand the role traditional and new Jewish texts play in buliding racially diverse Jewish representation

Explore your own understanding of Jewish History through a multiracial, multicultural lens

Have a toolkit of search terms and measure of accuracy for building resources that fit your classroom needs

Engage your students in challenging conversations about race, ethnicity, and Judaism

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Jewish Concepts for Racial Justice and Inclusion

  • Sinat Chinam (Baseless Hatred)
  • B’tzelem Elokim (In the Divine Image)
  • Contrast =/= contradiction
    • Shevatim (Tribes) (next slide is screenshot of the exact section)
  • Or la’goyim (Light Unto the Nations)
  • Bein adam l’chavero (Treatment of others as a mitzvah)
  • And more…

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Curriculum Building: JOCISM Inclusion

  • Pesach: where were we and mixed multitudes
    • Recipes, traditions.
    • Invite participation; be mindful of “othering”

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  • Purim
    • Where does the story take place?
    • What did Jews there look like?

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History

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Curriculum Building: JOCISM Inclusion

  • Minhag
    • Teach “ours” proudly, and teach where it comes from; what time period, what region of the world.
      • Conservative Judaism has a “normative’ minhag and space for inclusion. What does that mean?
    • Origins of Yom HaShoah, who does that honor.
    • Sigd.
    • Chag haBanot
    • Slichot

Bringing Books into the Classroom

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  • PJ Library
  • https://www.jewishmultiracialnetwork.org/books

Representation

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Curriculum Building: Racial Justice

  • Sense of self:
    • Who am I, where do I come from, who are my people, what is their history?
    • How do I and my people relate to power and victimhood historically and now?
    • How do I learn to communicate about these concepts?
    • Never Again

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Curriculum Building: Racial Justice

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  • Synagogue-based engagement in Racial Justice
    • Learning when to listen
    • Learning when and how to speak up for others
      • Defining “Others” versus “not me, but my mishpacha”

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    • How to advocate for needed mutual allyship.
    • Learning when and how to speak up for self

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What do you build in?

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FAQs

“We will do, and then we will understand.”

A brief overview of some frequently asked questions:

  • How do I test the accuracy of the resources I find?
    • Work with members of the communities and ask a Jew of Color (reach out to the organizations on the last slide)
  • I have machers/parents that are worried about bringing race into Religious School, how do I communicate with them about this?
    • Use the Torah concepts to explain why this belongs in religions school, explain that helping Jewish kids of all backgrounds understand where they fit in the greater world helps strengthen Jewish pride and identity and leads to Jewish continuity
  • What about anti-Semitism?
    • When we know who we are and where we come from and our historical strengths and weaknesses, we have better language to advocate for ourselves and others
  • How do I engage teens on this topic?
    • Be genuine and come from a “learning” mindset; operate with grace and humility and lead discussion–be the expert in facilitating discussion and allow space for their experience and expertise

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Organizations to look to

Organizations focused on the needs of Jews of Color and our families

= founded & run by Conservative Jews of Color

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Thank you

grollins@uscj.org