Hanukkah might be over, but we want to celebrate these Black Jewish leaders, who used their religious platforms to fight against systemic racism – proving that Black liberation can only happen when we all show up as our authentic selves!
#1: Rabbi W. Arthur Matthew
In 1924, Rabbi W. Arthur Matthew established the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College for Black rabbis, believing that “people who don’t know their cultural heritage are inevitably exploited by those who do.” He received pushback from white Jewish communities, but couldn’t be swayed – even insisting the original Jews were Black!
#2: Michael W. Twitty
Michael Twitty, a food historian, studies African and Jewish cuisine. He recognizes that for his Black and Jewish ancestors, “cooking was one of the few ways to preserve, adapt and pass down their traditions.” Twitty launched his award-winning blog Afroculinaria in 2010, and is writing “Kosher Soul,” a cookbook exploring his two cultural backgrounds.
#3: Maayan Zik
After George Floyd’s murder, Maayan Zik, a Black Orthodox Jew living in New York, organized a rally. Tying teachings from the Torah with reflections on systemic racism, Zik charged her Jewish community to take a stand for her Black community. Afterward, she created an “accountability through action” group called “Ker a Velt,” a Yiddish phrase meaning, “turn over the world.”
Black Jews face continued discrimination and erasure and are often pressured to “pick a side.” These leaders show they’re most empowered when they embrace both their religion and their race!
Like them, we must root our activism in our truth – we’re most powerful when we show up as our authentic selves!