BURLINGTON, N.C. – A local rabbi is reminding her community that it takes all kinds of voices to make a world.
What You Need To Know
Rabbi Sandra Lawson aims to dismantle prejudice through her social media presence
She said she encounters plenty of people who have a narrow idea of what she should look like as a rabbi
“You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it,” Lawson said
Rabbi Sandra Lawson challenges stereotypes every day in both her work and personal life. By day, she is the director of racial diversity, equity and inclusion for reconstructing Judaism. She said she experiences plenty of prejudice as a Black, queer, female Jewish rabbi, so she uses her guitar to help her audiences hear her message.
“Singing and praying or offering words of prayer before I talk about racism or homophobia or whatever, it relaxes people a little bit, because people are thinking more with their heart instead of their head,” Lawson said.
She also aims to dismantle prejudice through her social media presence. Lawson has an audience of more than 36,000 followers on TikTok alone, where she shares fun videos with her wife, Susan Hurrey, videos of herself playing her beloved guitars and educational videos that she says aim to help Jews connect to Judaism and help people understand how why it is relevant to today.
There’s another, deeply personal reason for her posts.
“I started using social media because I didn’t want to be ordained and still have to explain to people how Jews of color exist or how I’m a rabbi. That’s quite exhausting, and I wanted people to know that I exist,” Lawson said.
Lawson said she encounters plenty of people, both online and offline, who have a narrow idea of what she should look like as a rabbi. On one of Lawson’s pinned TikTok videos, there are comments that read in part, “She can’t be a rabbi when she is not straight and a (sic) women” and “you are not Jewish anymore.” She said people leave those kinds of comments all the time.
“I really could, if I wanted to, probably tell a story every single day on TikTok about some experience of racism and antisemitism that I’ve had within the Jewish community and racism and antisemitism that I’ve had outside the Jewish community,” Lawson said.
The historic relationship between the African-American and Jewish communities is one of support and tension. Lawson pointed out that many in the Jewish community were active in the Civil Rights struggle of the '50s and '60s, and said the Jewish community also played a critical role in starting the NAACP. She said it is crucial to support anti-racism efforts as that relationship moves to the future.
“Jews are Black. Jews are brown. Jews are white. If you’re saying that you don’t support Black Lives Matter, you’re saying you don’t support me as a Jew. If you say you don’t support removing racism from our agencies, that means you don’t support people of color in our communities. It’s a Jewish issue because it affects the Jewish people,” Lawson said.
Lawson said through all the noise, she also receives messages of support and appreciation that thank her for her representation. No matter what comes, she will use her platform and voice to keep educating, challenging and encouraging.
“Yes, you can be Black, queer, and a rabbi and Jewish. You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it,” Lawson said.
More information about Lawson’s work is available here.