No Silence on Race:
An open letter from Black Jews, Non-Black Jews of Colour, and our allies to Jewish Congregations, Federations, Foundations, Organizations, Nonprofits and Initiatives.
Tuesday June 30, 2020
We write this letter as proud members of the Canadian Jewish community. We are Black Jews and non-Black Jews of colour. We are Jewish community board members, educators and leaders. We write from a place of love for our Jewish identity and communities, while also grappling with the cultural erasure, exclusion and structural racism that we experience within Jewish spaces. We are nevertheless compelled by our desire to be in Jewish community because it is who we are.
Over the past month, we have witnessed a racial reckoning within Canadian institutions. Violence and police killings against Black and Indigenous people have continued unabated with numerous deaths including D’Andre Campbell, Eishia Hudson, Jason Collins, Regis Korchinski Paquet, Everett Patrick, Chantel Moore, Rodney Levi, Ejaz Ahmed Choudry and countless others. In the United States, the tragic murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, George Floyd, David Mcattee and Rayshard Brooks have gripped the collective consciousness and have been the catalyst for a global call to action. We have witnessed and participated in protests and in conversations for structural change across all sectors and our Jewish community is not exempt from this dialogue.
No Silence on Race is born out of the necessity for inclusivity and racial equity in Jewish spaces. We honour and give thanks to the Jews of Colour and Jewish allies in Canada and in the United States who have dedicated themselves to addressing structural racism within the Jewish community. We also acknowledge and support the activism and resilience from those who have committed themselves to this work outside of the Jewish community. We know all too well that systemic racism, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism are not just American issues.
So we call on our Jewish community to uphold the tenet of justice and to commit to the creation of a truly anti-racist, inclusive and equitable Jewish community. If you are aligned with this vision, we ask that you sign this letter in support. If you are an organization, we ask that in addition to signing your name, that you publish a statement expressing your commitment to the 9 pillars outlined below.
The work that needs to be done to achieve this vision must happen collectively and systematically. With this in mind, we invite Jewish congregations, federations, foundations, organizations, nonprofits and initiatives to commit to the following 9 pillars:
Allyship: The work of creating anti-racist, inclusive and equitable Jewish spaces begins with each individual. We call on everyone within their organization to make a personal pledge to the work of allyship and to devise a personal plan of 10-15 comprehensive ways they will work towards becoming strong allies and leaders in the creation of more inclusive and equitable Jewish spaces
Education: Engage external facilitators for organization-wide anti-racism and anti-oppression education and training
Indigenous Education & Relationship Building: Engage in education about Indigenous peoples in Canada and cultural competency training. Build meaningful relationships with local Indigenous communities
Equity Consultancy: Work with an equity consultant with a specialization in anti-racist work to formulate a multi-year strategic plan for your organization to create a roadmap towards inclusion, equity and anti-racist practices
Organization-wide Equity, Inclusion and Anti-racism policies: Devise an equity, inclusion and anti-racism policies for all functions of your organization, including non-discrimination policies, equitable hiring policies, and a procedure to report and investigate any breaches of this policy
Employment & Recruitment: Implement strategies to ensure equitable representation in your staffing as well as development and retention planning to ensure these practices are adequately conducted
Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism Advisory: Accountability is essential. Create an advisory group to ensure that the E&I policy and strategies implemented are upheld at all levels of the organization
Jews Of Colour Leadership Strategy: Invest in a leadership pipeline to ensure that Jews of Colour are poised to be adequately represented in leadership roles in the community. This pipeline can include mentorships, scholarships, grants and similar leadership development opportunities
Programming/Events/Partnerships: Commit to programming and partnerships with Jewish and non-Jewish cultural institutions with the goal of engaging in and elevating a diverse range of Jewish diasporas and histories.
We acknowledge that change takes time and recommend Jewish organizations to create their own timeline for achieving the 9 proposed pillars. We have designed these pillars as a guideline and we encourage all organizations to be intentional and creative in their implementation. While organizational priorities may have shifted amidst the realities of COVID-19, It is imperative that our community does not remain silent about how racial inequity plague Jewish spaces. We look to the entire Jewish community in Canada to challenge ourselves to do more and to envision the path forward.
Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher (prominent 13th century Spanish rabbi and scholar) calls us to seek “Justice whether to your profit or loss, whether in word or action, whether to Jew or non-Jew.” So we set our sights on July 9th, which this year is the fast of the 17th of Tammuz where we begin the three-week period of mourning leading up to Tisha B’av. Tisha B’av commemorates the destruction of the Temple and is a time where we also mourn other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. This time allows us to look inwards and take stock of the divisions that afflict our community today. It is in this spirit that we invite Jewish organizations across the country to engage in listening and introspection. Creating anti-racist, inclusive and equitable Jewish spaces will require us to engage in deep self-reflection and difficult conversations and an ongoing commitment to reimagining what the Jewish community can look like. Most of all, it must be guided by a love for one another.
For individuals and organizations who believe in this movement, we invite you to join us in action by adding your name to this letter. We call on organizations to sign their name with the intention to issue a public statement by July 29th, outlining your commitment and timeline for implementing these pillars.
The ground is shifting beneath us in ways that are undeniable and it is incumbent on each of us to play a role in shaping our collective future. When we honor our commitment to each other, our communities will reflect the beauty and diversity that truly exists within our culture.
Signed,