KESHET STATEMENT ON RACIAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE

Keshet is deeply committed to racial justice and equity and resisting white supremacy within our own organization, the broader Jewish community, and our entire society. Together with our allies, we are amplifying the voices of people of color – in the Jewish community and beyond. We recognize that LGBTQ Jews of color have often been rendered invisible. We celebrate that Jews are and always have been a multiracial, multiethnic people.

We affirm that racial equity and justice – an understanding and acknowledgment of historical and ongoing racial inequities and a commitment to actions challenging those inequities – are core to Keshet’s vision of a just society.

We recognize that white supremacy – a political, economic and cultural system of oppression that empowers white people at the expense of people of color – is present within Keshet and the broader Jewish community. As a multiracial, multiethnic community, white supremacy impacts each of us differently and we commit to identifying and rooting it out together.

This commitment reflects our understanding of the Jewish community as multi-racial and multi-ethnic, as well as our awareness of the racism and white supremacy that remain endemic to Jewish life

We also recognize that the majority of American Jews benefit from white privilege. We also understand that Jews of Color live at the intersection of racism and anti-Semitism. We commit to pushing white Jews to take critical responsibility for and participate in dismantling this oppressive structure.

As an organization that teaches the importance of proactive LGBTQ inclusive messages and actions, we recognize the similar need for us to make our commitment to racial equity and justice clear and explicit.

We commit to embed a racial equity and justice lens into Keshet’s leadership and staff structure, political analysis, organizational policies and communications, and program content.

We recognize that our commitment to racial equity and justice requires ongoing reflection, action, and adaptation. As we encounter new perspectives and gain new insights, we expect that this “living” statement will evolve accordingly.