Let us help you raise your race consciousness.
Our workshops lead to the creation of safe and embracing spaces for Jews of color
Latest News!
Currently Reading: Christian Supremacy: Reckoning with the Roots of Antisemitism and Racism by Magda Teter
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Currently Reading: Christian Supremacy: Reckoning with the Roots of Antisemitism and Racism by Magda Teter 〰️
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Take a look at this great article by Shoshana McKinney Kirya-Zirba on different ways Black Jews are marking Juneteenth in their Jewish communities.
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Rabbi Heather goes deeper into liturgy with this connection to Juneteenth and the Psalms. Read her essay on Exploring Judaism.
Want to use it this Juneteenth? Rabbi Heather created this accompanying source sheet to use as a text study by yourself or with a group.
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Read this piece by Rabbi Heather that was included in Exploring Judaism’s 5784 Passover Reader.
Here is an excerpt from her essay:
The Pilgrimage to the South with the Racial Justice Subcommittee of the Social Justice Commission (of the Conservative/Masorti Movement) was a different type of trip for me than it was for the other participants. As the only Black Jew, there was a lot of emotional preparation that was required for me to visit what is sacred land in an entirely different way.
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Read the full blog post with remarks from Rabbi Heather here:
Excerpt: On March 3rd, 2024, 20 leaders of the Conservative/Masorti movement gathered in New Orleans for a four-day Racial Justice Pilgrimage, including experiences in New Orleans, Mobile, and Montgomery, Alabama. The group included 13 rabbis, 3 cantors, and four lay leaders, including top professional and volunteer leaders of both the USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly. Most members of the group were already deeply engaged in the work of racial justice and inclusion, and participate in either the Conservative/Masorti Social Justice Commission, its Racial Justice Subcommittee and/or on the Movement-wide Task Force on Jews of Color Inclusion. Among us were four leaders of color.
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Rabbi Heather is delighted to be one of the many speakers at this historic event!
Fight for the Dream
Sixty years ago, Dr. King shared a dream of a world where equality and justice prevailed. Today, we're not just looking back but carrying his legacy forward.
This August, we're calling on everyone from all corners of the world to join us in D.C. We'll use our collective voices to demand change, realizing the dream of a fair and more just society.
This is not a commemoration.
This is a continuation.
Aug 26, 2023 | 8 AM | Washington, D.C.
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As a Black ADOS Jew and descendant of Juneteenth, Rabbi Heather has co-created resources that allow for solidarity building and a way to process the generational trauma of American slavery
Bringing Juneteenth onto the Bimah by Rabbi Heather Miller and Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson
Supplemental Juneteenth Reading Source Sheet
Updated Haggadah for Juneteenth for 5783
A Haggadah for Juneteenth by Rabbi Heather Miller (2022)
Kiddush Over Red Drink by Gulienne Rollins Rishon
What Juneteenth Means to my Black Jewish Family by Marcella White Campbell
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Rabbi Heather and the Multitudes is featured on Episode 5 of Season 2 of the PBS show Table for All with Buki Elegbede.
Challah & Chutzpah: A Celebration of Jewish Culture
Cookbook author Shannon Sarna shares the true meaning of Shabbat with her family in West Orange, NJ. Social media influencer and Jewish activist Lizzy Savetsky stops at her favorite Manhattan Jewish bakery and pays a visit to NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The 1969 Black Liberation Seder is recreated at Barnard College. Rabbi Heather Miller discusses diversity within the Jewish community.
“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself”
—John Steinbeck
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Race Consciousness Series
We all want to be allies and for our Jewish communities to feel like home to all who want to join us. In order to become true anti-racist upstanders, we must take a step backwards and start with a journey within. In this intro course we cover: Foundations of Race Consciousness, The Real Work of Anti-Racism, Bystander Intervention and Exploring our Biases through Perspective Taking
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Building The Upstander Toolbox
This 3-session series is for communities who have taken our Race Consciousness course or who have already engaged in their own Anti-Racism work. We will take a deeper dive into: Unpacking microaggressions, upstander tools and tailored next steps for your community
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"Shul Shopping" In Your SPace
During this 1.5-2hr session, we will meet with your key team to look at your synagogue space through the lens of inclusion. We will brainstorm next steps for your team and help you narrow down what the priority social justice areas are for your community.
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Build Your Workshop
Schedule a consultation to help us design a single workshop or series to meet your specific community needs. We have worked with several communities on topics such as: “So you want to be an upstander?” a session with teens and parents; “Creating a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment” for Hebrew School teachers.
Build an embracing space.
a wave of change
To date, Rabbi Heather has reached over 78K people through her work. It is a privilege to work with folks who seek to make a difference in their spheres of influence. With every session that we facilitate, we are making ripples that are creating a wave of change.
Here are just some of the communities that have joined us on this journey towards creating safer spaces for JOCs.
In 2018, The Jews of Color Initiative conducted a revolutionary study that found that 12-15% of the people who identify as Jewish in the US identify as a Jew of Color. The 2021 Beyond the Count survey went deeper into the experiences of those JOCs to gather data on why we don’t see that level of diversity in our Jewish spaces. The data revealed that 80% of Jews of Color reported experiencing discrimination in Jewish spaces and that only 51% of JOCs feel comfortable in predominantly White Jewish spaces.
The Multitudes supports communities in responding to data points like these through workshops and consulting that unpack how they are working through their mission, vision and values.
Who Am I?
The Multitudes was born out of a moment of intense introspection that came close to me stepping out of Jewish community altogether. I believe strongly that we all deserve to live fully connected Jewish lives in spaces that embrace us for the beauty found in all of our intersected identities. I believe that we were all created in the image of the Divine and that we each have histories that deserve to be honored as an integral part of our Jewish identity. We all received the Torah at Sinai and I firmly believe that there isn’t just one way to be authentically Jewish. I am a rabbi and passionate educator who strives to build a Jewish community that is safe for the whole selves of each one of us.
“She [helped] me see that it’s okay to take up space as a Jew of Color in this world. It may not be easy, but when you find those who authentically welcome you, it’s an amazing feeling”
Follow our journey
“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”
—Abraham Joshua Heschel