Sharon Rose

Sharon Rose

Activist, Educator, JUJ Leader

Post-Holocaust American Judaism Collections

2015

Moshe Kornfield, Scott Meyer, Elias Sacks, Stephanie Yuhas, Andrew Violet, Jane Thaler

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Sharon Rose (b. 1942) grew up in New York City in a secular Jewish family of passionate trade union supporters. Drawing on her family background, Rose viewed her Jewish identity in political terms, as a commitment to opposing all oppression and supporting all struggles for justice. As an undergraduate at Queens College, Rose became involved in civil rights activism, working to support sit-in strikers in the South. After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the federal government and joined a variety of protest groups. Drawn to the idea of confronting segregationist Jewish landlords whom she perceived as violating core Jewish values, Rose became involved with the Action Coordinating Committee to End Segregation in the Suburbs (ACCESS) and became a core leader of Jews for Urban Justice (JUJ). In this role, she helped to found the National Jewish Organizing Project. As Jews for Urban Justice moved away from political organizing and toward a more religious focus, Rose became increasingly alienated from the group. Additionally, after much soul searching, discussion, and travel to the Middle East, Rose came to identify herself as an anti-Zionist. She ultimately left JUJ in 1971 and became active in the Middle East Research and Information Project. Additionally, in 1972, Rose helped form an urban commune devoted to political organizing, which lasted for half a decade. Today, Rose remains active in social justice movements and teaches ESL (English as a Second Language.) Sharon Rose ACTIVIST EDUCATOR JUJ LEADER