‘Jews are white’: US minority psychologists’ coalition rejects Jewish ethnic recognition - Mathilda Heller

 

by Mathilda Heller

The statement was endorsed by six ethnic psychological associations, including Asian American, Black, Latino/a, Arab/MENA, and Native-American groups, representing about 2,000 members.

 

The American Psychological Association headquarters in Washington, D.C.

(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The coalition of minority ethnic psychologists within the American Psychological Association (APA) has opposed the recognition of the Association of Jewish Psychologists (AJP) as an Ethnic Psychological Association, claiming that most Jews "identify as white."

As first reported by the New York Times on Sunday, the Coalition of National Racial and Ethnic Psychological Associations (CONREPA) released a statement criticizing the recognition of a separate ethnic minority group for Jewish psychologists, saying that Jews are not underrepresented in the APA.

The statement was endorsed by the Asian American Psychological Association, the American Arab, Middle Eastern and North African Psychological Association, the National Latino/a Psychological Association, the Association of Black Psychologists and the Society of Indian [Native-American] Psychologists. The groups collectively represent about 2000 people.

“Conflating religion, race and ethnicity is a critical issue with serious consequences in that it obscures the role of racism, white privilege and white supremacy in the historical and contemporary oppression of people of color,” CONREPA said.

CONREPA then said that “The majority of Jewish Americans in the United States identify as white" and that Jewish psychologists of color "already have a home in each of the existing EPAs [Ethnic Psychological Associations].”

(credit: INGIMAGE)

“EPA seats were intended to address underrepresented groups within APA. Jewish psychologists are not underrepresented within APA.”

CONREPA went on to describe antisemitism as a form of religious discrimination. This is not exclusively the case; as antisemitism refers to the targeting of Jews as a group, it can compass religious discrimination, racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination.

ADL slams APA group over dismissal of Jewish identity

"This statement is not just troubling - it is indefensible," said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. "It reflects a profound and dangerous distortion of Jewish identity and a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of antisemitism. Jewish identity encompasses religion, ethnicity and culture - a complexity that CONREPA's statement dismisses entirely. To suggest that Jewish psychologists do not face discrimination or deserve representation within this group is both factually wrong and harmful."

It is notable that the CONREPA statement amid an ongoing investigation by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce into antisemitism at the APA, the largest psychological organization in the world. The move followed multiple reports of harassment of Jewish members "because of their Jewish identity, their efforts to speak out against antisemitism, and their Zionist beliefs.”

The Committee said it was "gravely concerned" about the reports of antisemitism, and also about claims that the APA failed to take sufficient action against a former APA division president who made deeply antisemitic statements.

This referred to Dr. Lara Sheehi, who served as president of the APA’s Division 39 (Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology) from 2023-2025. She reportedly taught that Zionism is a mental illness, called to “destroy Zionism,” referred to Israelis as “genocidal f**ks,” and, after the October 7 massacre, wrote, “How dare you slander the names of our martyrs as terrorists.”

The APA has previously educational credits for members to attend conferences where speakers endorsed “violence against Jews and Israelis; antisemitic tropes; Holocaust distortion; minimization of Jewish victimization, fear, and grief; and ‘pathologizing of Jewish people’s connection to their indigenous homeland,’” the Committee said.

"Despite the APA's recent claims that it is addressing antisemitism through listening sessions and the formation of a Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists, the organization's failure to oppose CONREPA's discriminatory statement demonstrates that these efforts fall far short of meaningful action," Greenblatt added.

The ADL called on the APA to reject CONREPA's position and to recognize the Association of Jewish Psychologists, ensuring that Jewish mental health professionals have a voice within their professional community.

The Jerusalem Post reached out to AJP and the APA for comment. 

Mathilda Heller

Source: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-886837

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter