Lessons from the Voices of Aging Jews of Color: Antisemitism and Lived Complexity in Times of Socio-Political Unrest

This presentation explores how aging Jews of Color experience identity, belonging, and resilience during escalating socio-political unrest. Drawing from follow-up interviews with participants from an earlier study on Jewish intersectional identity, this research centers the lived experiences of those navigating multiple marginalized identities following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. Participants described the emotional, social, and political toll of recent events, including rising antisemitism, inter- and intra-community tensions, and the challenge of being heard in polarized spaces.

This qualitative study analyzes interviews with seven Jews of Color over the age of 50, drawn from an original 2022 study funded by the Jews of Color Initiative (Weiss, Schwartz, Strassman & Marrus, 2023). Conducted in late 2023, the follow-up interviews explored the impact of recent events and how participants’ intersectional identities shaped their sense of belonging and resilience. Semi-structured interviews were thematically coded using ATLAS.ti and grounded theory methodology, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2021). Participants were predominantly female and identified as African American, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Cuban, Mexican, Arab, and multiracial.

Three main themes emerged:

(In)Visibility
Participants described being misrecognized or erased as Jews in both Jewish and non-Jewish spaces. Outside Jewish spaces, their Jewish identity was often questioned; within them, assumptions that Jewishness is monoracial or white reinforced exclusion. In response to rising antisemitism, some altered their visibility—wearing Jewish symbols in solidarity or removing them for safety.

Inter- and Intragroup Strain
Participants reported feeling conditionally accepted—within Jewish communities where their identity was questioned and within communities of color where their Jewish identity was often unrecognized. These tensions often required code-shifting or silence. Assumptions about what a Jew “looks like” led to repeated identity explanations and experiences of tokenization. Some found refuge in multiracial Jewish spaces, though others remained on the margins.

Resilience
Despite experiencing loss and scrutiny—especially when expressing support for Israel or speaking out against antisemitism—participants demonstrated resilience through spiritual grounding, historical consciousness, and activism. They described their intersectional identities as both burdens and sources of strength, motivating them to educate, advocate, and sustain community.

Conclusion and Implications
This study highlights how aging Jews of Color navigate compounded marginalization during times of unrest. Despite exclusion and identity strain, participants demonstrated resilience grounded in spirituality, historical consciousness, and activism. This follow-up study emerged from earlier findings that revealed gaps in visibility and recognition. Sharing their stories was described by participants as affirming, and the research has sparked conversations about identity, representation, and belonging in Jewish and social work spaces. These findings call for ongoing intersectional approaches in practice and policy that recognize the full complexity of Jewish identity. Future research should further explore how multiracial and multi-faith communities experience belonging, especially amid rising antisemitism and racialized tensions.

References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.

Weiss, E., Schwartz, S.,Strassman, J., & Marrus, M. (2023, June 21). Aging Jews of Color and their experience of resilience in times of social unrest [Grant report]. Jews of Color Initiative