A Positive Approach to The Jews of Color

Last week, we discussed the failure and downright hateful approach of the far-Left towards whites in terms of their grappling with the challenges faced by Jews of Color. But the challenges faced by such Jews are real. And after all, we are not talking about diversity for its own sake; we are talking about a diverse reality among our own. And we are a small and shrinking religious group that has always harbored grand ambitions of influencing the world through example. For Jews to feel excluded because they look different…this is indeed a terrible thing, not just for these Jews, but for Judaism itself, which has no explicit word for race in the Torah.

So who is constructively addressing these issues?

Whether we like or not, it appears that NCSY is doing so, and has been doing so fort awhile, quite seriously.

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, with the help of Yavilah McCoy and Tobey Herzog, has reprinted an important brochure from 2003 entitled, “Getting to Know Jews of Color.�

In the section “10 Tips Toward Sensitivity in the Jewish Community,� Ms. McCoy’s suggestions include,

“Remember that it’s OK to be curious, but to become fascinated with a person because of an aspect of their physicality alone, is to turn that person into an object in your regard. Make efforts to make your relationship with people who are different from you more than skin deep.�

And,

“When we sit with things inside us that make us uncomfortable, we often find deeper truth and growth on the other side.�

Kudos to NCSY for the important work they are doing in this matter, and for the sophisticated and positive message of inclusion they are spreading.

And yet…

Being the Apikorus that I am, I have to ask, aren’t these problems to some extent our own doing? Don’t we have some quite questionable views on conversion itself? Aren’t we a bit schizophrenic about whether or not we are a nation or a universal religious group?

For instance, one of the most egregious ideas in traditional conversion is that those already born to converts are no longer really part of their family. Their parents are not their parents; their siblings not their siblings.

Once again, traditional Judaism is willing to deny basic biology. And any time traditional Judaism denies basic scientific FACT, isn’t Judaism itself compromised?

And in light of such an extreme view of what it means to be Jewish instead of gentile, is it really such a surprise we have problems in terms of accepting those of a different group as our own? Is it any surprise that the more different they appear, the greater the challenges they face in terms of their acceptance by some Jews?

I don’t think this problem is faced by Christians of Color the same way. Just the term itself sounds ludicrous. Most Christians don’t even question that there are other Christians who look quite different than they do. While there may be expectations about the race of Christian leadership, there is simply no expectation of a specific race for a Christian. The far-Right often rejects Christianity for this specific reason. Of course, Christianity is an expansive religion, while Judaism is an insular one.

But is it that simple?

There is a belief in traditional Judaism that a Jewish convert is no longer part of his or her biological family in a meaningful way…does that not this set the tone that others—gentiles—are of inherently less value?

I don’t think Judaism is inherently racist. But I do see that Jewish supremacism can be exacerbated by race. Traditional Jews, like other frequently xenophobic near-Eastern people, sometimes have a profound contempt for others. And if you have contempt for the otherness of a person, this will affect how you view a person who comes from that otherness.

There are gains in remaining an insular people. But there is a cost as well, because like so many other near-Eastern groups, we have a reluctance to see value in others. Rather, we are struggling to see comparable value despite converts coming from otherness. Those costs are disproportionately borne by Jews of Color.

Ye one more reason to consider that even if we support an Orthodox monopoly on conversion in Israel, we should resist the haredi quest for international conversion hegemony.