Celebrating Black Jewish Voices

Thursday, February 20, 2025

4:00 PM-7:00 PM

The Laurie Wagman Initiative in Jewish Studies in collaboration with Drexel's Africana Studies Program and the Pennoni Honors College cordially invite you to a very special one-time live event featuring guests Westside Gravy, rapper and activist; Rebecca S'manga Frank, actress and writer; Fabulous Flores, Holocaust awareness educator; Debra Bowen, rabbi; Rachel Moon, fashion blogger; Brandy Shufutinsky, journalist and activist; Dmitri Shufutinsky, journalist and author; and Gulienne Rollins-Rishon, advocate and dialogue facilitator.

Free and open to the public, but RSVP is required here.

• 4–4:50 p.m. - Personal Presentations
• 4:50–5:30 p.m. - Discussion/Q&A moderated by Brandy Shufutinsky
• 5:30–6:10 p.m. - Musical Performances by Westside Gravy and the Temple Beth'el Choir
• 6:10–7 p.m. - Kosher dinner from Star of David and mingling

About the Guests

Westside Gravy is a rapper and producer based in Israel. He was raised in San Diego, California and draws inspiration from his upbringing around classic west coast hip hop that reflected the roots and environments of the sub-genre’s artists. Blending English, Hebrew and Spanish in his unique West Coast meets Middle East fusion. Whether it’s through introspective songs about identity, or celebrating his multicultural roots, Gravy believes that music has the power to share personal and collective stories.

Rebecca S’manga Frank—actor, poet, playwright, educator, and story doula—most recently performed in the west coast premiere of the Pulitzer prize winning play "Primary Trust" at La Jolla Playhouse, "Love All" by Anna Deavere Smith, and "At the Wedding" at Lincoln Center's LCT3. Her writing and performances have been featured in Lilith Magazine, with Lab/Shul, and at many other theaters, shuls, schools, and arts and culture spaces around the globe. She's a fellow of The Workshop, LABA NY, New Jewish Culture Fellowship, Rabbinic Arts Fellowship, and more.

Fabulous F. Flores’ work focuses on highlighting the untold stories and victims of mass atrocities, particularly the overlooked narratives of Black victims during the Holocaust. Fabulous’ graduate thesis, titled "Reading the Silences: The Suppressed Voices of the Black Victims in the Holocaust," aims to correct this historical erasure and integrate these stories into the broader field of Holocaust studies. Currently, she serves as the Education Director at the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center and will soon assume the role of CEO.

Debra Bowen is the Spiritual Leader of Congregation Temple Beth’El, an eclectic synagogue whose membership is majority African American. She is the daughter of the late Rabbi Louise Elizabeth Dailey, z”l who was a brilliant teacher of Torah and the spiritual leader of the Congregation for 50 years. As the Senior Rabbi of CTB for the last 22 years, Debra brings to the position her love of Torah, and a commitment to conveying Jewish values to her constituents.

Rachel Moon is a Washington, D.C. based fashion blogger and social media activist. She is also the founder of Style Over the Moon, LLC which is a blog focused on fashion, beauty and travel.

Brandy Shufutinsky is a social worker, writer, and researcher working to counter the illiberal takeover of our education system. Dr. Shufutinsky has been published in Newsweek, Jewish Journal, the Jerusalem Post, Sapir, and JNS. She was a 2021 Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy Oxford Summer Institute, where she worked to develop curriculum in Critical Antisemitism Studies. Dr. Shufutinsky is the Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values.

Dmitri Shufutinsky is the author of Jew Jitsu: Turning Our Enemies' Arguments Against Them. He is also a scriptwriter for the YouTube news channel China Uncensored, and has been published in the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, The Times of Israel, The Forward, The Jerusalem Post, Jewish News Syndicate, and other media outlets. Dmitri currently works as a program coordinator and junior research fellow with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP), and resides in Philadelphia.

Gulienne Rollins-Rishon is a biracial Ashkenazi and Black American speaker, facilitator, and writer. As the granddaughter of German Holocaust survivors and Southern Black Americans, Gulienne uses her own identity to encourage others to explore their relationship with race, religion, and culture. She served as the Racial Justice Specialist at USCJ, Social Justice Project manager at Rabbinical Assembly, and founder of HypheNation, a consulting firm for empowering people of all backgrounds to enter into racial dialogue with confidence and grace. Gulienne is a lifelong New Yorker who spent 6 years in Boston and is currently growing roots in Philadelphia with her dog and daughter.