The recent statement by the Coalition of National Racial and Ethnic Psychological Associations (CONREPA) opposing recognition of the Association of Jewish Psychologists reveals a troubling blind spot: the assumption that “most Jews identify as white." This claim doesn’t just misunderstand Jewish identity-it erases the lived experiences of millions of Jews of color worldwide.
Jews are white. Jews are brown. Jews are black. We are Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, Indian, Peruvian and Chinese. We speak dozens of languages and trace our ancestry to every inhabited continent. To flatten this diversity into a single racial category is not just factually wrong-it’s a form of erasure that ironically mirrors the very exclusion these minority organizations were created to combat.
The statement from CONREPA-endorsed by Asian American, Black, Latino/a, Arab/MENA, and Native American psychological associations-argues that Jewish psychologists don’t face underrepresentation and that “Jewish psychologists of color already have a home in each of the existing EPAs." But this position forces Jews of color into an impossible choice: embrace your ethnic heritage or your Jewish identity, but not both.
Consider the Ethiopian Jewish psychologist whose family walked through a desert to reach Israel. Consider the Mizrahi Jew whose grandparents were expelled from Iraq or Yemen. Consider the Latino Jew whose family has practiced Judaism in secret for generations. Are they white? According to CONREPA’s framework, their Jewishness somehow negates their status as people of color-or their color negates their right to Jewish communal recognition.
The coalition’s claim that antisemitism is merely “religious discrimination" compounds this error. Antisemitism has never respected such neat categories. The Nazis didn’t ask about religious practice before sending Jews to death camps-they measured skulls and noses, creating a racial hierarchy that targeted Jews regardless of observance. Today’s antisemites attack synagogues, Jewish community centers, and people wearing Stars of David, not because of theological disagreements but because of who Jews are.
CONREPA’s position also ignores an uncomfortable reality: Jews can face discrimination precisely because we don’t fit neatly into American racial categories. We’re told we’re “too white" to experience real prejudice, yet we’re also excluded, targeted, and told we don’t belong. We’re simultaneously accused of controlling systems of power while being told our concerns about rising antisemitism don’t merit institutional recognition.
The irony is particularly sharp given that this statement comes amid a congressional investigation into antisemitism within the APA itself, following reports of harassment against Jewish members and the organization’s failure to address a division president who reportedly called Zionism a mental illness and referred to Israelis with vile slurs.
Professional associations create ethnic-specific groups not as a reward for achieving perfect victimhood, but to provide community, mentorship, and a voice for those who share common experiences and challenges. Jewish psychologists-whether they’re white, black, brown, or any shade in between-face unique professional and personal challenges that deserve recognition.
Organizations committed to diversity and inclusion should understand that identity is complex and intersectional. A person can be both Latino and Jewish. Both black and Jewish. Both Asian and Jewish. Recognizing Jewish ethnic identity doesn’t diminish other identities-it honors the reality that Jews, like all peoples, are diverse.
If minority coalitions truly stand against erasure and for authentic representation, they must resist the urge to define other groups’ identities for them. They must reject the simplistic logic that any group achieving professional success no longer deserves communal recognition. And they must acknowledge that Jews, in all our magnificent diversity, have the right to define ourselves.
The question facing the American Psychological Association is simple: Will it recognize the full complexity of Jewish identity, or will it endorse a statement that erases Jewish diversity and denies Jewish experience? The answer will say much about whether the organization’s commitment to inclusion is truly universal, or whether some minorities matter more than others.