Ashkenazi Identity and White Jews Working Against Racism: A Conversation an...
Event Information
Event description
Description
A Workshop for Young Adults Led by Ri J. Turner
Sunday April 19th, 2015
White supremacy in the US and in the world at large, and Ashkenazi dominance within Jewish communities and institutions -- these are two matters of grave concern for many of us who consider ourselves to be Jewish anti-racist activists. But how do these two dynamics intersect? How are they analogous and how are they different? Where does anti-Semitism fit into the picture? What does this all have to do with Israel / Palestine? What is the history of Ashkenazi identity and what has been its fate in the rapidly globalizing American racial system? Is it possible to reclaim Ashkenazi identity without reinforcing Ashkenazi dominance? And for those of us who identify as Ashkenazi and white, how do these identities act as obstacles or resources in our work to end racism?
In this workshop, we will discuss the relationship between white privilege and Ashkenazi ethnic identity, particularly in terms of how it affects our relationship to confronting racism both inside and outside of the Jewish community. We'll work together to define terms, examine our beliefs and assumptions, and develop an analysis of the relationship between whiteness and Ashkenazi identity and how that plays out for us as activists with a variety of racial and ethnic identities.
We will also discuss the history of Ashkenazi identity over the past couple of centuries, particularly in terms of the development of European Jewish nationalist movements including but not limited to Zionism, emigration from Europe, and assimilation into the American racial system.
Finally, we'll consider the ways in which American and global white supremacy, and Ashkenazi dominance within the Jewish community, are both similar and different, and how an analysis of these power dynamics can help us develop awareness and clarity about ways in which white Ashkenazi Jews can participate effectively in the movement to end racism.
Eligibility:
• This workshop will be geared towards Young Adults (primarily 20s and 30s).
• This workshop is open to participants of all racial and ethnic identifications.
• Participants are expected to have some background in thinking and talking about race and anti-racism (this workshop will not provide anti-racism 101; the conversation will operate from the presumptions that racism and racial privilege are real and systemic and that Jews of European descent participate in and benefit from white privilege).
• This workshop is open to participants of all racial and ethnic identifications.
• Participants are expected to have some background in thinking and talking about race and anti-racism (this workshop will not provide anti-racism 101; the conversation will operate from the presumptions that racism and racial privilege are real and systemic and that Jews of European descent participate in and benefit from white privilege).
• If you have any questions or concerns about any the above, please contact Ri at ri.j.turner@gmail.com.
Preparation: In advance of the workshop, please read Chapter 1 of How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America by Karen Brodkin and excerpts from The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism by Melanie Kaye Kantrowitz (PDFs will be provided once you register).
Please bring a potluck dish to share!
$15 members, $25 non-members.
*If price is a barrier, please talk to us.
Organizer Boston Workmen's Circle
Organizer of Ashkenazi Identity and White Jews Working Against Racism: A Conversation and Potluck
