Through the Raíces y Redes (“Roots and Networks”) project, Jewtina y Co. brings Latin-Jews, non-Jewish Latinos, and non-Latino Jews together around a shared curiosity to connect with one another’s traditions and stories, with Latin-Jewish narratives often at the center. These encounters—through film festivals, cultural celebrations, and community dialogues—invite participants to connect with one another and explore the intersections of identity, memory, and belonging. At its core, Raíces y Redes builds understanding between two vibrant communities that have often lived side by side but rarely had opportunities to learn deeply from one another.
Analucía Lopezrevoredo, founder of Jewtina y Co., sees the experiences of Latin Jews as “a natural bridge between these communities.” The initiative creates spaces where people build meaningful connections with one another while openly exploring antisemitism, xenophobia, and racism through the perspective of Latin Jewry. This offers a new model for cultural exchange grounded in curiosity and relationships, honoring shared histories and building toward a united future.
A recent Día de los Muertos gathering at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles exemplifies this approach. The event invited participants to reflect on remembrance practices across Latin and Jewish traditions. “It was a beautiful opportunity to see similarities and differences in how the Latin community and the Jewish community honor and commemorate life and remember those who are no longer with us,” Lopezrevoredo shared. Through art, storytelling, and shared ritual, people connected across traditions while reflecting on what it means to carry memory forward.
As Kimberly “Mariposa” Dueñas, Jewtina y Co.’s Director of Learning and the Día de los Muertos event organizer, noted, “In these moments, we recognize how much we share as Latino/es and Jews, and for those of us at the intersection of those identities, we can feel at home in ourselves. The opportunity to celebrate life, love, and community through cultural tradition is what our work is all about. It brings people closer to what matters, with pride and alegría.”
As participants created culturally-informed art together, conversations naturally turned toward the challenges each community faces. “The Latin community is grappling with how to navigate profound crisis right now: mass deportation threats, surging xenophobia, the constant dehumanization of our people,” Lopezrevoredo explained. “The Jewish community is simultaneously processing October 7th and escalating antisemitism.” These shared reflections underscored that their struggles weren’t just similar, they were interconnected—and so was their capacity for resilience and mutual support.
By recognizing the urgency both groups feel, Raíces y Redes nurtures empathy and relationships. “In this moment, it feels especially important to strengthen our relationships and truly humanize the major needs of both our communities.” Lopezrevoredo sees this humanization as the heart of the project’s work: creating meaningful dialogue that reminds people of their shared humanity, especially in times of tension and grief.
The project’s approach is intentionally immersive and interactive. Whether centered around a screening or celebration, each event features community conversations that invite attendees not only to learn but to engage directly with presenters and one another. “We help folks walk away with curiosities and questions to keep engaging with themselves and with someone who is close to them,” said one organizer. This design amplifies impact far beyond the room itself. “A 250-person event can spark conversations that reach 500 or more individuals as people bring these questions home to their families and communities,” Lopezrevoredo explained.
The project’s grounding in community relationships is particularly meaningful in cities like Los Angeles and New York, where both Jewish and Latino populations are large, diverse, and deeply centered on the importance of community. “These types of immersive, interactive experiences have been key for us to build a network among populations that are so centered around community,” said a leader. “It’s been important to us to recognize that these worlds are existing simultaneously in the same space and to explore how we can come together to build ties.”
That spirit of connection ties directly into the program’s participation in JoCI’s Addressing Antisemitism Through a JoC Lens cohort. As part of this cohort, Lopezrevoredo has connected with other JoC leaders whose projects explore antisemitism through relationships and interactions with both non-Jewish communities and the JoC community. “When we’re thinking about addressing antisemitism through a JoC lens, it’s great to be with other folks who are also thinking about these important issues and doing so in ways that use our intersectional stories and experiences as key to being able to connect populations that aren’t always speaking to each other,” Lopezrevoredo shared.
The cohort experience has strengthened the team’s resolve to keep building relationships across communities, even when the work is difficult. “We’re not fighting antisemitism or xenophobia alone. There are people finding creative ways to challenge systems and connect with each other. To remember that we’re part of this bigger network that is committing to this work is really, really affirming to why we’re here.”
This intersectional approach is both a framework and a lived reality. “I think as JoC, our perspectives are underutilized when it comes to addressing antisemitism. I’m so grateful the JoCI was able to put out an RFP for projects to combat antisemitism through our unique lens,” Lopezrevoredo said. The work of Jewtina y Co. illustrates how JoC-led projects bring essential insights and connections to the broader effort to confront hate and strengthen community.
At a time when both Jewish and Latino communities are grappling with fear, grief, and misinformation, Raíces y Redes offers a model rooted in empathy, curiosity, and shared humanity. “There needs to be a collective reckoning that yes, we are experiencing an emergency—and there’s also another community in front of us experiencing an emergency right now. No emergency is more important than another.”
By creating spaces that foster listening instead of defensiveness and shared questioning instead of division, Raíces y Redes shows the positive outcomes of addressing antisemitism and racism together through the leadership of Jews of Color, whose lived experiences reveal the interdependence of our communities and the possibility of collective healing.