Jews in the D
HUES from page 20
22 | FEBRUARY 20 • 2020
Aryeh, who is white. In social situations,
people sometimes treat Aryeh with more
respect. And it’
s especially hurtful when
someone thinks it’
s OK to make a racially
inappropriate comment to Aryeh.
“I don’
t necessarily see things as being
racially insensitive like my wife sees it,”
Aryeh says. “So I’
m constantly attempting to
see things from her viewpoint … Often, the
best response is to do nothing while show-
ing I understand that what happened was
hurtful, and to just be there for my wife to
provide comfort and support.”
The Kleins initially met six years ago.
Aryeh was hosting a fundraiser and Aliza,
an active volunteer within the Jewish com-
munity, was asked to help with the event.
A few years later, a friend set them up. The
couple married in December 2017. They do
not have children yet. The pair is concerned
that when they do start a family, their kids
will have to deal with racism, not only from
within the Jewish community but from soci-
ety as a whole.
“We want to raise strong children and
will try our best to make sure our kids are
exposed to positive people with positive
attitudes,” Aliza says. “Unfortunately, there
will always be ignorant people. And while
we can’
t control how they act, we can control
our responses to them.”
Ashira Solomon, a single Orthodox Jewish
woman with a 4-year-old daughter, hopes to
meet someone that her neshamah (soul) con-
nects with. She wants to get married again
but she’
s been told it might be hard for her to
get a shidduch (match).
Solomon isn’
t necessarily offended by this
comment, saying she understands the chal-
lenges of why a Jewish person — whether
they’
re Orthodox, Conservative or Reform
— may not consider marrying a Jew who
isn’
t white.
“When you’
re surrounded by a bunch
of people who mostly look the same and
you’
re taught that saying derogatory words
like schvartze (“black” in Yiddish) is OK,
then what happens when you meet a Jew of
color?” she says. “How do you react?
“It’
s a mixed message.”
Solomon believes the key to addressing
such stereotypes is through education and
being conscious of the fact there are different
types of people with unique characteristics.
GROWING ATTENTION
A handful of initiatives and organizations,
many working on a national level, are
addressing the needs of a more diverse
Jewish population.
Olivia Guterson, a 29-year-old artist living
in Detroit, wouldn’
t mind seeing more local
initiatives. She says she usually connects
with other Jews of color when she attends
conferences that more actively recruit or
create space for them.
In a city like Detroit, where 85% of the
population is black, Guterson says she is
surprised she hasn’
t come across more Jews
of color. She occasionally attends the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue and guesses
she knows two or three others who identify
as a Jew of color. She suspects there may be
more who are not visibly identifiable.
As part of its 2020 programming, the
Union for Reform Judaism is spearheading
an initiative called Audacious Hospitality,
designed to embrace Jewish diversity. URJ
hopes to listen to the experiences Jews of
color have in majority-white spaces and
provide educational resources that address
how to improve in the areas of diversity,
equity and inclusion, according to Chris
Harrison, a writer and editor for Audacious
Hospitality and a Jew of color.
Harrison, who recently relocated to
Michigan, serves as a committee member
on the Audacious Hospitality working
group with Temple Beth El in Bloomfield
Township, where he is a member.
Harrison says congregations can take sev-
eral steps to help others feel more welcome.
“When Jews of color talk about their
experiences, microaggressions they’
ve
received in Jewish spaces, believe them,
promise to do better and act on it,” he says.
“Look at your congregational or institu-
tional practices, ranging from engagement
to hiring, to the resources you provide in
your religious schools and libraries and
beyond. Do the images on your website
and social media reflect true Jewish diver-
sity? Has your staff taken implicit bias
training?
“Taking these steps can be challenging
and cause some discomfort,” Harrison says,
“but they are necessary and healing and
will help make your communities places of
true belonging.”
LOOKING FORWARD
Now, at 94, Jones continues to
learn as much as he can and is
gravitating toward exploring the
concept of Jewish identity.
“It’
s a good year for me — I’
ll
be 95 on May 2
,
” Jones said. “I
told my wife this is going to be
my year.
”
Jones stays active by regularly
performing Shakespearean plays
at Temple Beth El for congre-
gants, including The Merchant
of Venice and, most recently,
a return to Othello, where he
weaves biblical themes into each
play. Jones hopes to soon perform
his 400th rendition of Othello and
finish his book on his transition
from Christianity to Judaism.
Regarding his relationship to
Judaism, Jones says his philos-
ophy is, “I’
m still learning.
” He
participates in weekly Torah
study courses and attends Sunday
minyan, which for him, “feels like
family.
”
“I feel satisfied, I feel comfort-
able — I still feel I have beautiful
challenges,
” Jones said. “I still feel
motivated to learn and to study
Torah each week.
”
Catch Dr. James Allen Jones per-
forming “The Torah and Shakespeare”
on April 24, May 1 and May 8 at the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.
Laura Bonnell contributed to this
article.
“I found the
satisfaction
that I wanted to
in Judaism. It
was like coming
home.”
— JAMES ALLEN JONES
JOURNEY from page 20