Who Am I?
“Mom, you’re not one community’s rabbi—you’re rabbi to The Multitudes.”
Those words from my son gave name to a vision born out of deep introspection—after a moment that almost led me to walk away from Jewish community altogether.
The Multitudes exists because I believe every person deserves to live a fully connected Jewish life in spaces that celebrate the beauty of their intersecting identities. I believe we are all created in the image of the Divine, and that our diverse histories are not peripheral—they are integral to Jewish identity. We all stood at Sinai, and there is no single way to be authentically Jewish.
As a rabbi and passionate educator, my purpose is clear: to build a Jewish community where each of us can bring our whole selves, and where Torah speaks to the fullness of who we are.
Latest News!
Clips from Speaking Engagements
In the Media
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Take a look at this great article by Shoshana McKinney Kirya-Zirba on different ways Black Jews are marking Juneteenth in their Jewish communities.
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Rabbi Heather goes deeper into liturgy with this connection to Juneteenth and the Psalms. Read her essay on Exploring Judaism.
Want to use it this Juneteenth? Rabbi Heather created this accompanying source sheet to use as a text study by yourself or with a group.
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Read this piece by Rabbi Heather that was included in Exploring Judaism’s 5784 Passover Reader.
Here is an excerpt from her essay:
The Pilgrimage to the South with the Racial Justice Subcommittee of the Social Justice Commission (of the Conservative/Masorti Movement) was a different type of trip for me than it was for the other participants. As the only Black Jew, there was a lot of emotional preparation that was required for me to visit what is sacred land in an entirely different way.
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Read the full blog post with remarks from Rabbi Heather here:
Excerpt: On March 3rd, 2024, 20 leaders of the Conservative/Masorti movement gathered in New Orleans for a four-day Racial Justice Pilgrimage, including experiences in New Orleans, Mobile, and Montgomery, Alabama. The group included 13 rabbis, 3 cantors, and four lay leaders, including top professional and volunteer leaders of both the USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly. Most members of the group were already deeply engaged in the work of racial justice and inclusion, and participate in either the Conservative/Masorti Social Justice Commission, its Racial Justice Subcommittee and/or on the Movement-wide Task Force on Jews of Color Inclusion. Among us were four leaders of color.
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Rabbi Heather is delighted to be one of the many speakers at this historic event!
Fight for the Dream
Sixty years ago, Dr. King shared a dream of a world where equality and justice prevailed. Today, we're not just looking back but carrying his legacy forward.
This August, we're calling on everyone from all corners of the world to join us in D.C. We'll use our collective voices to demand change, realizing the dream of a fair and more just society.
This is not a commemoration.
This is a continuation.
Aug 26, 2023 | 8 AM | Washington, D.C.
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As a Black ADOS Jew and descendant of Juneteenth, Rabbi Heather has co-created resources that allow for solidarity building and a way to process the generational trauma of American slavery
Bringing Juneteenth onto the Bimah by Rabbi Heather Miller and Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson
Supplemental Juneteenth Reading Source Sheet
Updated Haggadah for Juneteenth for 5783
A Haggadah for Juneteenth by Rabbi Heather Miller (2022)
Kiddush Over Red Drink by Gulienne Rollins Rishon
What Juneteenth Means to my Black Jewish Family by Marcella White Campbell
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Rabbi Heather and the Multitudes is featured on Episode 5 of Season 2 of the PBS show Table for All with Buki Elegbede.
Challah & Chutzpah: A Celebration of Jewish Culture
Cookbook author Shannon Sarna shares the true meaning of Shabbat with her family in West Orange, NJ. Social media influencer and Jewish activist Lizzy Savetsky stops at her favorite Manhattan Jewish bakery and pays a visit to NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The 1969 Black Liberation Seder is recreated at Barnard College. Rabbi Heather Miller discusses diversity within the Jewish community.
“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself”
—John Steinbeck
Rabbi H as a panelist for a conversation about belonging at the Never is Now conference
Rabbi H moderates a student panel for the Center for Jewish Inclusive Learning
A project in the works??
Rabbi H moderates a panel at the 14th Street Y about the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda
Ammud Jews of Color Torah Academy Rabbi Ambassador Poster Series
Attorney General Letitia James Black and Jewish relations dinner
Governor's Rosh Hashanah Luncheon
Rabbi H gives a convocation at the 2024 commencement ceremony at Kingsborogh Community College
Rabbi H ion a Panel at the UJA General Assembly (2024)
A COVID Bar Mitzvah
Never is Now: Being Jewish Today- Navigating Antisemitism Across the Spectrum of Jewish Life
Never is Now: On Being Jewish Now
Still from Table For All with Buki Elegbede: Challah and Chutzpah (Freedom Seder at Barnard College)
Still from Table For All with Buki Elegbede: Challah and Chutzpah
Chatting with Governor Hochul at her Jewish American Heritage Month event
Governor Hochul's first ever Jewish American Heritage Month event
Marching across the Pettus Bridge with NCJW for the 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
Always great to spend time with Ruth Messinger!
Speaking to the National Black Empowerment Council on the Together We Win teen bridge-building cohort.
Taking some teens to lobby on Capitol Hill on social issues of their choosing
Havdalah at Senesh! What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?
Build an embracing space.
A wave of change
To date, Rabbi Heather has reached over 8 million people through her work. It is a privilege to work with folks who seek to make a difference in their spheres of influence. With every session that we facilitate, we are making ripples that are creating a wave of change.
Here are just some of the communities that have joined us on this journey towards creating safer spaces for JOCs.
In 2018, The Jews of Color Initiative conducted a revolutionary study that found that 12-15% of the people who identify as Jewish in the US identify as a Jew of Color. The 2021 Beyond the Count survey went deeper into the experiences of those JOCs to gather data on why we don’t see that level of diversity in our Jewish spaces. The data revealed that 80% of Jews of Color reported experiencing discrimination in Jewish spaces and that only 51% of JOCs feel comfortable in predominantly White Jewish spaces.
The Multitudes supports communities in responding to data points like these through workshops and consulting that unpack how they are working through their mission, vision and values.
“She [helped] me see that it’s okay to take up space as a Jew of Color in this world. It may not be easy, but when you find those who authentically welcome you, it’s an amazing feeling”
Follow our journey
“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”
—Abraham Joshua Heschel