What the Jews of Color Initiative sparked
What does it take to build a Jewish community where everyone feels they belong? For two days this June, Detroit set out to find out. The Jewish Federation of Detroit welcomed the Jews of Color Initiative (JoCI) on its national listening tour, gathering community members, Jewish professionals and lay leaders to learn, share and imagine what comes next.
The visit began Thursday evening at the Downtown Synagogue with a gathering for community members who identify as Jews of Color. The goal was simple: create space for people to connect with one another and share their experiences directly with JoCI’s leadership. Later in the evening, the conversation expanded to include communal professionals, lay leaders and allies from across Detroit’s Jewish community. What they shared, and what it could mean for the future of Jewish Detroit, is where the story really begins.
Rather than a traditional presentation, the evening felt like a conversation. JoCI talked about who they are, what they have learned through years of national research and why their work matters. Community members offered their own reflections and hopes for what comes next. The result was a chance to listen to one another and better understand the many ways people experience belonging within Jewish life.
While Thursday’s conversation focused on lived experience and community connection, Friday’s gathering turned toward how those insights can inform the work of our institutions and organizations. JoCI met with the Collective, a group of professionals representing synagogues, schools, camps and community organizations from across Detroit, to explore the research and data behind their work nationally and what it might mean for our community.
The discussion centered on questions many organizations are already asking: How do we create environments where more people feel they belong? What barriers still exist? And how can we better understand who we are serving and who we may be missing? Participants explored how JoCI’s findings, grants and resources might help inform local efforts and strengthen the ways our organizations support and engage community members.
Taken together, the two days reflected an important part of Federation’s role: convening people across organizations and experiences, connecting Detroit to national expertise and creating space for honest dialogue. No single program can answer complex questions about belonging, but Federation helps ensure these conversations happen and that our community has the relationships, resources and partners needed to carry them forward.
For Rebecca Steinman-Degroot, Director of Repair the World Detroit, the visit reflected both a professional commitment and a deeply personal experience. “I grew up in the Michigan Jewish community, and I now work on its behalf and am raising my own family here. For years, I sought out Jews of Color programming, support and community beyond Detroit. That is part of why I’m so proud to be a committee member of JoCI and to have helped bring this conversation here.
“This two-day gathering was the first time I was simply asked to share my experience rather than explain it. It felt different to be in a room where I didn’t have to translate what I’ve lived, I could just talk about it. I hope for more conversations like this one, so more people get that same chance and everyone can find a sense of belonging.”
Her reflection points to a larger truth: Jews of Color are not new to Detroit. They are educators, parents, clergy, volunteers, leaders and community members already helping shape Jewish life here. What JoCI’s visit offered was a chance to hear directly from those voices, learn from national research and consider together how we keep building a community where more people feel connected and able to see themselves in Jewish life.
JoCI’s visit is one example of Federation’s ongoing commitment to learning, listening and relationship-building, helping us better understand the experiences in Jewish Detroit and continue building a stronger, more welcoming future for all.
To learn more about the Jews of Color Initiative and their work nationally, visit https://thejoci.org.
