“Rarely Kosher: Studying Jews of Color in North America” is about what it says on the tin. Gordon states that Jews of color have consistently been erased throughout Jewish studies, in part due to the complex history that the whole Jewish community has with race. Many academics only consider European Jews when doing scholarly research, which both leads and contributes to the misconception that all Jews are white. Despite this, there are large populations of Jews of color across the world. Gordon argues that the Eurocentricity of most research on Judaism causes Jews of color to feel isolated, excluded, and invalidated in their Jewish identity. Gordon encourages a more diverse (and more accurate) conception of Judaism, and speaks at length about institutions that he has helped found in order to tackle this problem. He sees these institutions as gateways to questions that attack the misconception of the homogeneously white Jewish community. Gordon also believes that the way in which the field of Jewish studies is approached needs to change from a homogenous framework to a more heterogeneous approach.

This article was a great read. Gordon speaks with passion and authority on a subject he is clearly familiar with, including personal anecdotes about his experiences as a Jew of color. He cites historical precedence, tracing the relationship between Jews and race from Judea onwards and pointing out that many historically famous Jews were people of color. The article is engaging and well thought out. However, I wish that Gordon’s thesis was stated more clearly. It’s easy to get a sense of his argument, but he does not declare his central argument in a way that is accessible to readers.