Gaby Newell is the Jews of color organizer for Tribe 12, and a Jew of color herself. She said she gets emotional when she thinks about what that identity means to her. Newell said that the Jewish people’s determination to survive and further Jewish traditions and culture is a testament to their strength. They have used that strength to help other minorities, too.
“We have always overcome so many obstacles, so much oppression, and it just means so much to me,” she said. “Adding on, being a Jew of color, I think it makes it more meaningful because the Jewish community has always had its hand in helping communities of color. So this work feels really personal to me.”
Newell joined Tribe 12, which looks to connect Jews in their 20s and 30s in Philadelphia, earlier this year after graduating with a postgraduate degree. She came across the organization and thought it would be a good fit for her. The folks at Tribe 12 agreed.
“Essentially, I am just building relationships with individuals in Philadelphia that identify as a Jew of color — meeting with them a couple of times throughout the month and making sure they feel comfortable as a Jew of color in Philadelphia as well as feeling comfortable in Jewish spaces,” she said.
As she grows her network, Newell plans to create programming for the community. She has some ideas for events that could bring together Jews of color in the city.
“One of the things that I see for myself is doing a diaspora series that really educates our community on the different types of Jews that exist all over the world. It’s really something that I’m passionate about,” she said. “Right now, it’s focused on building community and making sure that Jews of color have a safe space, but then in the future, to start programming.”
Newell said she has a lot of work to do to help show the community at large about the rich history of Jews of color. As a member of the Latin American community too, Newell said that the work that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society has done in the region and the Caribbean has meant a lot to her and is something that she wants to help publicize more.
She said that this work can help combat antisemitism, as well as help other communities gain a sense of compassion for the struggle of the Jewish people.
“This work is really important to me because it’s personal. I want to dispel a lot of myths about the Jewish community and remind people of the ways in which we as Jewish individuals, who were forcibly removed where we’re from, have had to assimilate,” she said. “At the same time that they’ve had to assimilate, Jews have been very compassionate to these [other] communities.”
Newell said a fact she often finds herself citing is the integral role that Jews played in the founding of the NAACP. Once, in the wake of Oct. 7, 2023, she reiterated that fact to someone whom she felt had many antisemitic sentiments.
“I had to say, ‘Well, it was Jewish individuals that were with your community during the Civil Rights Movement, and so I think that not only is it right to reciprocate that same compassion, but I think it’s important to support the people that have always stood by you,’” she said.
Newell said that that point hit home, and the person she spoke to was emotional about it.
“It was really moving for me,” she said.
Newell said she loves when people feel comfortable, and she tries to help create that feeling for people through her job at Tribe 12. She said that there is a certain level of comfort and camaraderie between any two Jews, but that that dynamic only increases when two Jews of color are together.
“I like the look in people’s eyes or the surprise in their voice when they find out that we are from a similar background, and how much more comfortable they feel sharing their trials with me,” Newell said. “Because we come from a similar background, they all of a sudden feel more comfortable and kind of unload.”
Newell, a Center City resident, said she has grown to love the Philadelphia Jewish community in particular since she moved from her home state of Nevada. She appreciates how Philadelphia Jews seem to help the elderly in their communities.
Newell is a member of Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, even though it is far from her home in the city. She said that she was first invited there in college, and the family-oriented congregants welcomed her so lovingly that she decided to stick around.
“They’ve been kind of stuck with me ever since,” she said.
She recalled one memory in particular that she still thinks of fondly.
“During High Holidays, there was someone’s bubbe who wanted extra ice cream, and I was sneaking her scoops while I was serving,” she said. “I was like, ‘I just love this place and I’ll be here with you guys forever.’”
Go, Gaby! Not even a little surprised. She was a true force at Penn always showing up for the Jewish community and so many others. So proud of her.