
Our Own Worst Enemies:
How does the history of American racism reverberate in the cultures and hierarchies of the American Jewish community?
Dr. Devin Naar
There are deeply entrenched historical linkages between anti-Black racism and what commentators sometimes call “Ashkenormativity” (the idea that Ashkenazi culture is the default Jewish culture) within American Jewish communal life.
Learn the processes through which the face of the American Jewish community emerged as white and Ashkenazi, why that public image has retained such staying power, and how it might be overthrown as American Judaism is “reconstructed” once again for the 21st century.
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Youth Education Curriculum

Adult Education Curriculum
For More on This Topic
- Types of Jews: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and More – A short video showcasing Jewish diversity
- Journey to the Mizrah – A middle school curriculum for the study of Sephardic and Mizrahi culture and history developed by Jimena
- Jews and White Privilege – An article by Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg and Rabbi Max Reynolds
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