A new campaign on social media highlights the stories of Jewish women of colour.
The campaign, which is tied to Purim, is encouraging social media users to share stories about women of colour and those who identify as Sephardi and Mizrahi.
American groups, including the Jewish Multiracial Network, Jewish Women’s Archive and Repair the World, created it in an attempt to educate people that Jews are from all backgrounds.
They are encouraging people to use the #ShareHerStory hashtag to tell people about women such as Angela Buchdahl, the first Asian-American rabbi and cantor.
The campaign also highlights Dianne Cohler-Esses, the first female rabbi from the Syrian-American Jewish community, and Alysa Stanton, the first African-American rabbi.
They have used Purim – which celebrates the story of Esther, the Jewish queen who saved Jews from the Persian King – as the backdrop to the initiative.
Judith Rosenbaum, executive director of the Jewish Women’s Archive, said: “Purim is a holiday that teaches us about the power of women’s stories to make change.
“But these stories can only have an impact if we remember them, and too often, women’s stories are left out of the narrative.”
Tamara Fish, president of the Jewish Multiracial Network, added: “In the spirit of Esther, we are ringing out loud the stories of risk-taking and ground-breaking Jewish women of colour, together with Sephardi and Mizrahi women, who deserve to be remembered in history.”
Laura Belinfante, director of digital campaigns at Repair the World, said she hoped that the campaign would give marginalised Jewish women a voice.
“For hundreds of years, women, people of colour, especially women of colour, and other marginalized communities have mobilized to fight persistent challenges that face our society,” she said.
“Finally, mainstream institutions and media have started to catch up with those movements. Together, we can act now to amplify their stories.”
Did you catch the shoutout to my Mamanjoon? She’s able to explain to anyone what I do (and does so proudly). Honored to be a part of this campaign recognizing women whose efforts have strengthened our community. #ShareHerStory @repairtheworld https://t.co/X2614D9CJB pic.twitter.com/SzSYbK3zQa
— Rachel Sumekh (@RachelSumekh) February 13, 2018
The #ShareHerStory campaign features stories of strong Jewish women of diverse backgrounds in honor of Purim and Esther. African American Jewish author Carolivia Herron is one of them. Meet all the women of the campaign: https://t.co/3IItSLrRSU
— (((WJC))) (@WorldJewishCong) February 15, 2018
Photo courtesy of Repair the World pic.twitter.com/QsoLfPJdn7
