Editors’ Introduction

Contemporary Jewry https://doi.org/10.1007/s12397-024-09599-x Editors’ Introduction Harriet Hartman1 · Adina Bankier‑Karp2 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024 Special Issue: Jews of Color Defining Jewish identity within social science research has long been fraught, with contested boundaries and evolving perspectives adding to its complexity. When the focus shifts to Jews of Color—a topic nested within the broader and also debated studies of people of color—the complexity of this special issue grows exponentially. The intersection of these two fields calls for thoughtful and nuanced analysis. Although a considerable body of work has explored Jews of Color, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative studies on demography, social inclusion, and identity, this special issue offers significant, additional contribution by delving into the conceptual and methodological challenges of defining and measuring this group. It pushes the conversation further than previous research, adding new dimensions to our understanding of how Jews of Color navigate both Jewish and racial identities. This issue is particularly valuable in Jewish communal as well as scholarly settings for extending discussions about the implications of methodological choices in measuring and defining minority groups. Professor Bruce D. Haynes, the guest editor, provides an important contextual foundation, positioning this issue within the larger framework of scholarship concerning people of color. By doing so, he highlights how methodological debates influence the legitimacy of different approaches to understanding identity. The special issue—as is the case in many scholarly fields—thus stands at the intersection of rigorous academic inquiry and urgent social justice concerns, with both scholars and activists deeply invested—albeit for varied reasons. While academics may focus on the implications of definitional and methodological rigor, activists are particularly concerned with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and restorative justice, arguing that the historical exclusion of people of color necessitates comprehensive societal and institutional responses that reach far beyond the immediate groups in question. * Harriet Hartman 1 Rowan University, Glassboro, USA 2 Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Vol.:(0123456789) H. Hartman, A. Bankier‑Karp Professor Haynes also situates the positionality of primarily European-origin Ashkenazi Jews and their motivations for adopting an identity aligned with white acceptance within the broader US society. However, this alignment also subjects them to criticism for enjoying “white privilege” and accusations from other minority groups of being “colonialists.” In US society, where “underdog” status often conveys certain advantages, such as access to special privileges aimed at overcoming past inequities, positioning oneself within the majority as part of the privileged white group carries its own disadvantages. This includes exclusion from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, limited representation in ethnic studies departments in higher education, and insufficient protection from antisemitism, particularly when it stems from white nationalist and political groups, which can be especially challenging when exercising free speech. In addition to intermarriage contributing to greater diversity within Jewish households, global immigration has brought Jews to the USA from across the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. The Jewish community also includes long-established Jews of Color, including African American, Latinx, and Asian Jews, whose diverse ancestries are not solely linked to recent immigration. Thus, categorizing all US Jews under a white identity is not only inaccurate, but also fosters a sense of exclusion. The current political environment in the USA contributes to a complex and at times hostile space for Jewish space and culture, even when there is an effort to equitably include Jews of Color. In this special issue, we as editors do not wish to adopt a definitive stance on this highly sensitive constellation of factors at play. Rather, our goal is to illuminate the conceptual and methodological issues that arise in research and its application within this complex area. Our selection is necessarily shaped by the contributions received and deemed suitable for publication, which themselves reflect the broader context of competing priorities—such as the recent surge in anti-Zionism and antisemitism both in the USA and globally, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict involving Israel on multiple fronts since October 7, 2023. This observation in no way diminishes the significance or impact of each article presented here. Instead, it acknowledges that these contributions are not exhaustive of the issues within the field nor do they encompass the full spectrum of perspectives. We therefore echo the guest editor’s call for deeper engagement with these topics and warmly welcome future contributions to this vital discourse. The broader field of studying people of color interrogates fundamental questions of identity, power, and belonging—themes that resonate deeply within the US Jewish community. As in the wider context, Jews of Color face challenges related to visibility, representation, and inclusion—issues that challenge traditional notions of Jewish identity. These tensions are not merely theoretical: They directly influence how Jewish communities plan, program, and educate within increasingly diverse environments. For Jews, this research necessitates a reassessment of what it means to belong to a diverse community that has often been perceived as homogeneous. As Jewish demographics shift, particularly in the USA, acknowledging and addressing the experiences of Jews of Color become not only a matter of justice, but also a crucial element for the continued vitality of Jewish communal life. Incorporating the voices and experiences of Jews of Color into the collective narrative enriches Editors’ Introduction Jewish identity, fostering stronger and more inclusive bonds that better reflect the true diversity of the Jewish people. Special Issue: Jews of Color Articles There are two major points to Ira Sheskin and Arnie Dashefsky’s article How Many Jews of Color Are There? Recognizing Jewish Diversity: Science and Controversy. The first is a studious analysis of available data on how many Jews of Color there are in the USA, clarifying the definitions and databases used, and discussing the merits of both. The second is to discuss the challenges to the “science” or “facts.” The discussion of these challenges and their merit brings out the influence of personal or professional motivation for certain data outcomes on the part of researchers and funders, and suggests a need for ethical research conduct in this field in particular. Bruce Phillips goes further than several authors in this special issue in arguing t (...truncated)