The national organization, the Jews of Color Initiative, is hosting a listening tour in Detroit this week.

CEO Ilana Kaufman says it’s an effort to build community and center the day-to-day lives of Jewish Americans, especially of Jewish communities of color. “The Jewish community all over the world, but particularly in the United States, is multiracial and multifaith. Something like 20% of the US Jewish community self-identify as people of color,” she says.  

Kaufman grew up in San Francisco, California. She says the area she grew up in was a multiracial, multifaith, thriving community. 

“Our community was filled with folks from the Japanese internment camps. I grew up in the Fillmore district, which is full of the African American community, and I live in one of the first Jewish neighborhoods in San Francisco,” she says.

Why the tour is important

Kaufman says the U.S. Jewish community is stressed right now.

“I think any opportunities to be together in relationship, where we’re talking about not only the hard things, but the things that bring us together. I think those are energizing,” she explains.

She says the organization is hoping to connect with Jewish people of color to reinforce leadership and build programming to strengthen the community.

“We ask the same set of questions across each region, so we can hear specifically what’s passionate and important to the regions we’re present in,” she explains.

Detroit is different

Kaufman says while Jewish life is huge on the east and west coast, Detroit is a smaller community that “can transcend conflict in service of small goals that have big outcomes in service to the greater good.” 

Kaufman says she sees Detroit being able to close the gap between races and faith groups due to the communities’ existing connections. 

Detroit’s listening session takes place Thursday June 25 from 6-8 p.m. 

“We know that in Detroit, we will hear ideas about what it means to prioritize and elevate multi racial, multi ethnic Jewish community life, which is really all of us,” she explains.

Location details are shared upon registration due to privacy concerns.