HEADLINES
LOCAL New JCRC fellow spotlights serious issues
like antisemitism with a touch of humor
SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
Z illah al-Kahiya is already bringing a sense
of humor to her work with the Jewish
Community Relations Council of Greater
Phoenix (JCRC) as its latest communications
and public diplomacy fellow.

Twitter memes are one of her specialties.

On Dec. 16, she tweeted a meme she created
with four human heads showing four different
types of headaches: migraine, hypertension,
stress and hosting Chanukah Shabbat. Each
headache was illustrated with the affected
section of head colored in red — the Chanukah
Shabbat host’s head was completely red. The
tweet included Happy Chanukah and Jewish
identity hashtags and #ShineALight, which
highlights the rise in antisemitism.

“Zillah brings a fresh lens to our work,
especially with the use of humor and memes
to share the Jewish story,” said Paul Rockower,
JCRC’s executive director.

Humor is a useful tool for advocacy, al-Kahiya
said. While antisemitism is no laughing matter,
using humor to bring attention to it can disarm
people and get them to pay attention when
they otherwise might not.

“Jews are the funniest people alive but when
you go to large Jewish organizations, often
their outreach is just walls of text — no pictures,
no humor, no memes,” she said.

“But if you use a meme, it is repeatable
and spreadable and doesn’t require outside
intervention.” Al-Kahiya is “a terrific writer, with a real
desire to be part of the next generation of
Jewish leadership,” Rockower added.

Al-Kahiya started her career in technology,
but in 2019, she took a bit of a detour.

After volunteering with Colorado Rep.

Brianna Titone’s communications team, she
realized researching legislation and writing
communications for a legislator was something
she really enjoyed, though she ultimately
parted ways with Titone.

“I found out I really loved researching
bills, writing copy for town hall meetings and
learning how people were thinking about
voting,” she said.

Working in politics showed her firsthand
how difficult it is for disenfranchised groups
to navigate government red tape to access
certain types of assistance. She started a private
fundraising group to help marginalized people
develop skills, like self-defense.

She used social media to find instructors and
had a significant response from people eager to
help with training. The groups met in public
parks and learned some valuable skills, both for
unhoused people and those at risk of being
targeted by hate crimes. As a Jewish lesbian,
protecting minorities is a priority for al-Kahiya.

“If you can use social media in intelligent
ways, and if the local community is good, then
people step up because they genuinely want to
help,” she said.

In 2020, she moved from Colorado to
Louisiana and sought ways to involve herself
in Jewish community outreach. She studied
history and kept apprised of current events. She
looked for ways to be active in the community.

Scrolling for job opportunities on Indeed
and Jewish Jobs, she happened across a position
at JCRC. She was used to working remotely,
so the fact that she wouldn’t physically be in
Phoenix didn’t deter her, though she has visited
Arizona and thinks it’s a beautiful place.

She researched the JCRC and its mission and
knew it was the right fit. She was also impressed
by Rockower.

“I feel like I’m learning from someone who’s
doing what I’d like to do,” she said.

Al-Kahiyah also loves cooking, especially
spicy foods, and will be contributing entries
“Types of Headaches” meme from the Jewish
Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix’s
Twitter account.

COURTESY OF JCRC OF GREATER PHOENIX
to a food blog for JCRC. Her ancestry
is Moroccan and one special Chanukah
treat she’s currently making and will blog
about is sfenj, a fritter-like Moroccan
doughnut made from a sticky, unsweetened,
leavened dough and shaped like a plum.

She’s hopeful that this fellowship,
which is funded in part by the Center for
Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix,
will introduce her to interesting new people
and lead to other opportunities working in
Jewish community outreach. JN
Jewish News is published by the Jewish
Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, a
component of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy
of Greater Phoenix.

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