Jewish Psychologists for Justice Opposes APA NBI 15A

Dear Members of the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives:

Jewish Psychologists for Justice (JPJ), a newly formed group welcoming the full spectrum of Jewish identities, calls on the APA Council to oppose NBI 15A. Awarding the Association of Jewish Psychologists (AJP) a seat on Council as an Ethnic Psychological Association would exclude many Jewish psychologists from representation because AJP is not representative of American Jews as a whole. Its mission statement claims that all Jewish people share an identity “rooted in a common identification with [the] Jewish homeland, now found in modern day Israel.” But Jews have a wide range of relationships with the state of Israel, including some who do not identify with it at all. In fact, it is commonly held to be antisemitic to automatically associate American Jews with the state of Israel. If APA were to promote this myth by granting AJP a seat on Council, it could reinforce antisemitic assumptions rather than counter them.

Our advocacy on this and other issues is rooted in our principles, which include radical inclusion, solidarity, democratic participation, and intersectional awareness. As only one minority group in a multiracial democracy, we understand that true safety for Jews can only be achieved through forms of security that can be shared with other minority groups, and through efforts that promote justice and equality for all. We therefore cannot in good conscience support NBI 15A, which is opposed by all of the existing Ethnic Psychological Associations (EPAs) recognized by the APA. We regard these groups as our allies, with whom we must be in right relations and accountability in our shared efforts toward well-being for all our communities. We recognize the harm caused by conflating antisemitism with systemic racism, which undermines our ability to be in coalition.

Of equal importance, the vast majority of American Jews are White, and Jewish identity is best understood on a different axis from racial identity. Indeed, AJP’s own membership survey suggests that only 5% of its members identify as People of Color. Adding AJP to a group of EPAs that currently comprises Black, Indian/Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and Arab/MENA Americans would significantly depart from understandings of race and systemic racism in the United States. It would also undermine the attempted redress for which the EPAs were created and further invisibilize those who are indeed Jews of Color. Antisemitism, including interpersonal and organizational discrimination in this country, is a very serious issue that demands timely and substantive engagement by the APA. And, simultaneously, Jews are not a structurally disempowered group in the field of psychology. Rather, we have been and continue to be important and plentiful contributors to American psychology.

We also want to highlight that the peril faced by Jews today includes being targeted, blacklisted, and silenced for speaking out as Jews against Israel’s war crimes and the essential role of the United States in providing military and political support for the ongoing assault on the Palestinian people. We believe it is important that the APA not contribute to these personal and professional harms by embracing an organization that has not stood in opposition to the weaponization of antisemitism against those, including Jews, who stand up for accountability and against impunity. In short, if APA designates the Association of Jewish Psychologists as an affiliated Ethnic Psychological Association, it will legitimize one specific group of Jews while excluding, delegitimizing, disenfranchising, and potentially risking harm to many other Jewish psychologists.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Moshe Brownstein, Lizabeth Roemer, Judith Gulko, and Lynne Layton, on behalf of JPJ

February 3, 2026