Racial Justice Resources
This page is a living resource for our Hillel community. Jewish students and professionals can use these materials to learn about and examine race, power, and privilege.
Put your intention into action.
You can define and commit to specific goals around anti-racism and allyship. You can focus on reading, listening, watching, acting, or combing through mental health and wellness resources. The challenge will be making that same choice tomorrow and the next day with intentionality. We encourage you to make commitments to yourself and your Hillel to ensure you engage with anti-racism efforts for the long haul.
1. Why Racial Justice is a Jewish Issue by April Baskin
2. Grounded in Gratitude, Tackling Systemic Racism with Open Hearts by Rabbi Sandra Lawson
3. Asian Jews Deserve Better by Gen Slosberg
4. A Queer Black Jewish College Student’s Plea to the Jewish Community by Aviva Davis
1. Barriers to Dismantling White Supremacy on Hillel@Home
2. Racial Justice and the Jewish Community on Hillel@Home
3. If Not Now, When? Featuring Four Black Jewish Activists on Hillel@Home
4. Who Counts?: Race and the Jewish Future, an ELI Talk by Ilana Kaufman
1. Get civically engaged through MitzVote by registering and committing to vote.
2. Prioritize buying goods and services from Black-owned local businesses.
Integrate regular anti-racist learning and action opportunities for Hillel staff and students into annual strategy and goals.
3. Bring racial justice to your Shabbat table. Have an open conversation about privilege within the Jewish community, and specifically the white-presenting Jewish community, and how best to use that privilege as power for change.
1. For the Black community: Mental Health Resources for the Black Community
2. For the Asian American and Pacific Islander community: Mental Health Resources for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
3. For Hillel employees: Employee Assistance Program
4. For all: Talkspace is offering the Hillel community a discount code “HILLEL100” for $100 off your first month (no expiration). Talkspace users access virtual therapy with licensed therapists through their website or mobile app.
Hillel Statement in Support of Racial Justice
Our tradition teaches us that we may not “stand idly by the blood of our neighbors.” Now is the moment for action; standing idly by will not suffice.
We cannot see the murder of George Floyd and stand indifferent to his cries, nor to that of so many Black Americans and people of color. For too long, we have seen the destructive consequences of racism — on college campuses, in our cities, and in our own communities. As a people that has known and fought oppression for generations, we have an obligation to speak out and take action whenever people are being targeted for who they are or what they believe. We speak out today because Black Americans continue to endure systemic racism and police brutality in our world and because we believe Black lives matter.
Hillel International, our students and our communities stand as allies with the Black community and all who are fighting racism and bigotry in our world today. We walk with the thousands of Black Jewish students and students of color whose lives are made more difficult by intolerance and prejudice.
Hillel has long been working on these issues, but we still have much to learn and more to do. We are building community through relationships with Black student organizations on campus, facilitating conversations through our national Black-Jewish student summits and lifting up the voices of Black Jews within our communities. We will continue to listen to our colleagues and friends in the Black community and offer further concrete ways for our students to stand against racism, including professional training and educational resources for students.
The hearts of our students, professionals and community members are open and ready to act. We encourage Jewish students and community members across the country and around the world to be true allies to the Black community – to advocate, and to find new, peaceful and powerful ways to make our voices heard and our impact felt.