A Letter to the Jewish Community

Jill Housen (she/her) was raised in Claremont, California. She received her B.A. in Fashion Merchandising from California State University, Long Beach, after transitioning from studying French, Spanish, and molecular biology at the University of California, Irvine. She is a certified Health Coach and is also certified in traditional African Herbal Healing. She is a buyer for a contemporary women's boutique and a loving caregiver for her mother. She currently focuses on both her fashion industry career and Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) work as a REDI consultant for local and national organizations through her consulting group 3W, with her partner Tamar Ghidalia and BI Collaborative.

Jill is the DEIB Consultant for the Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din where she was key in presenting several days of learning on Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which included performances from the cast of True Colors, Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) training from Be'chol Lashon, and a lunch and learn featuring Marc Dollinger. She worked closely with outreach to select and train a team of mentors to work specifically with people of color embarking on their Jewish journey. She finds creative ways to ensure that everything is done through a lens of inclusion and belonging, from written materials to visual representations and beyond.

Jill is a contracted facilitator for the Union of Reform Judaism's Audacious Hospitality team and is on the RAC's National Justice Leadership team. She is a member of both the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Ikar in Los Angeles, California and the executive board at Temple Beth Israel in Pomona, California, where she is the chair of the DEI committee. She is passionate about social justice, sustainable fashion solutions, food justice, and reggae music. In her free time, Jill can be found working in her garden, spending time at the gym, and experimenting in the kitchen with vegetarian dishes. Jill is an alum of the URJ's (DEI) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion JewV'Nation Fellowship, and completed the Don't Kvetch Community Organizing Training through Bend the Arc.