Jews of Color - 2024
Jews of Color in the United States and Israel
6th BiannualEmbodied Judaism Symposium
This year’s Embodied Judaism highlights the oral histories of Jews of Color that are being added to our archive through the Jews of Color: Histories and Futures project, made possible by funding from the Henry Luce Foundation. Please join Ilana Kaufman (the Jews of Color Initiative), Marc Dollinger (San Francisco State University, author ofBlack Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s), and Bryan K. Roby (University of Michigan, author ofThe Mizrahi Era of Rebellion: Israel’s Forgotten Civil Rights Struggle, 1948-1966) for a panel discussion about the lives, experiences, and histories of Jews of color in the United States and Israel.
Judaism is often considered a religion of the mind, defined by the study and practice of Jewish law, but it also has rich traditions as a religion of the body, engaging sights, sounds, emotions, and feelings of spirituality. The Embodied Judaism Series, held biannually at the ϳԹ, draws on materials housed in the Innovations in Jewish Life Collections to explore the role of the body in Jewish life through public symposiums, featuring academic scholars, prominent practitioners, and artistic performers, and multimedia exhibits aimed at academic and non-academic audiences.
series explores embodied Jewish life and experience through public gatherings and multimedia exhibits aimed at academic and non-academic audiences, drawing on materials in the held at ϳԹ. The 2024symposium explores the oral histories of Jews of Color.It is a partnership between the Program in Jewish Studies, Jews of Color: Histories & Futures, and the University Libraries’.

Ilana Kaufman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jews of Color Initiative. Her work sits at the center of Jewish community, racial equity and justice, and is anchored by the voices and experiences of Jews of Color. Ilana has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Code Switch,The Forward, eJewish Philanthropy, and her Eli Talk, titled “Who Counts? Race and the Jewish Future,” has over 45,000 views. She is passionate about the intersection of Jewish community, racial justice, Jews of Color, education, and philanthropy, and is a Senior Schusterman Fellow.

Marc Dollinger holds the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University. Professor Dollinger is author of four scholarly books in American Jewish history, most recentlyBlack Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing The Alliance in the 1960s. He has published entries in theEncyclopedia Judaica, theEncyclopedia of Antisemitism, and theEncyclopedia of African American Education. His next project, an academic memoir titledLaundering Antisemitism: Identity Politics, Ethnic Studies, and the University,Indiana University Press, traces his experiences as an identified Jewish (and Zionist) professor in the current political climate. Professor Dollinger has spoken about his research with the CEO of the NAACP on CNN as well as the CNN-podcast “Silence Is Not An Option,” the NFL Network, ESPN, and Germany’s National Public Radio. Just for fun, Dr. Dollinge