Vanessa Hidary

Poet, Writer, Artist and Performer

A) What qualities make the nominee deserving of the Z3 Bridge Builder Award?

Before Instagram Influencers, there was Vanessa Hidary.
Over twenty years ago, she was performing Spoken Word in intimate, hole-in-the-wall venues, captivating NYC’s most diverse audiences, while asking the bold question, “What Does Jewish Look Like to You?”
through her powerful poetry, she boldly confronts antisemitism, shatters stereotypes, and amplifies a Jewish voice in the Slam Poetry scene. Her work marks a groundbreaking moment, as she is one of the first to speak openly and proudly about Jewish identity in this space.
Growing up without many relatable, modern, urban Jewish voices, Vanessa sought to create a space for Jews who grew up with friends of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, yet identified strongly with their own heritage. However, her message transcended this specific group. Her signature poem “Hebrew Mamita” was featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, connecting her with Jews worldwide, eager to see someone challenge conventional ideas of Jewish identity. To fully grasp Vanessa’s impact on the Jewish community, it's essential to recognize her broader appeal. Her message of being told, “You don’t look like” or “You don’t act like” your race or culture struck a chord with other ethnicities facing similar challenges. This shared experience helped bring Jews into wider conversations about discrimination and identity.
Vanessa went on to write Culture Bandit, a solo show that chronicled her coming of age during the golden age of Hip-Hop and her dedication to fostering understanding and friendship between all people.
In 2007, Vanessa expanded her repertoire to include directing and writing workshop facilitation. In collaboration with Birthright Israel NEXT, she developed and directed MONOLOGUES, a show featuring solo performances by 15 young adults reflecting on their Jewish identity, inspired by a 10-day trip through Israel. This project became a vital post-trip engagement, helping participants process how their experience in Israel shaped their sense of self. Each performer worked with Vanessa to write and deliver their personal story. Initially planned as a one-night event, the show evolved into a two-year tour across the U.S., engaging thousands along the way.
Vanessa created “The Kaleidoscope Project.” This time her focus was on voices missing from the conversation around Jewish Identity.
Kaleidoscope is a narrative-arts-driven initiative sparked by a desire to highlight the stories of Jews of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, observance levels, and interfaith experiences.
In collaboration with her associate producer, Rabbi Kendell Pinkney, and in partnership with UJA, the 14th Street Y, and Be'chol Lashon, Kaleidoscope presented the Kaleidoscope Monologue Showcase to sold-out audiences over a three-day period. Each performance was followed by a lively Q&A sessions with the cast. These post-show discussions highlighted a strong desire to explore the complex realities within the Jewish community and beyond.
Kaleidoscope believes that personal monologues are a powerful tool to initiate these conversations. With this in mind, she began to ask: How could these impactful stories and discussions reach communities nationwide in a portable format, while maintaining the emotional power of live, personal storytelling?
In response, Vanessa and Kendell developed the “Kaleidoscope Video Workshop”, featuring cast monologues that address the challenges faced by Jews of Color and Jews of non-Ashkenazi descent, both within and outside the Jewish community. The workshop includes writing exercises designed to help participants connect with their own identities.
Though the stories focus on Jewish racial and cultural diversity, Kaleidoscope believes and encourages the idea that everyone has a story to tell about feeling "othered"—whether related to sexual orientation, religious affiliation, economic status, gender, or disabilities. These are just some of the many topics participants have explored in Kaleidoscope sessions. These workshops have been done with numerous teen groups such as Diller and BBYO, as well as in Universities and synagogues.
Kaleidoscope was chosen for the JewV’Nation Fellowship, a leadership development program with URJ. The fellowship was designed to engage visionary Jewish leaders across North America.
Her dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices has taken on even greater significance now that she is raising a daughter who is Black, Latina, and Jewish—a true Jewminicana. As her daughter grows and explores her identity as a Jew of color, Vanessa hopes she will not only be embraced by the broader Jewish community but also understood and accepted beyond it.
Like many, the events of October 7th, 2023, the ensuing prolonged war, and the surge of antisemitism in the world have profoundly impacted Vanessa’s life.
As a Jew with a strong connection to Israel, she found herself increasingly isolated within her social and artistic communities. Discussions about the complex historical narratives surrounding the conflict felt one-sided and lacking in nuance. This led to strained friendships, fractured relationships with colleagues, and a loss of social media followers.
This unexpected chapter also sparked a renewed sense of purpose. In June, she traveled to Israel with a delegation of Jewish educators, sponsored by the Jewish Education Project. The program took them to massacre sites and memorials, where they had the opportunity to hear directly from victims of the October 7th attacks. She extended her stay to perform and lead writing workshops in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Sharing new poems about her experiences as an American Jew during this unprecedented time, and listening to the stories of Israeli Jews, inspired her to team up with Israeli Spoken Word Artist Yoav Talmor, to create "Intersecting Journeys: A Spoken Word Workshop on Jewish Identity and Antisemitism Post-October 7th, Exploring the Shared and Divergent Experiences of Israeli and Diaspora Jews.” This workshop, invites Israeli and Diaspora Jews to come together in a creative space to explore both the shared and divergent experiences of Jewish identity and the impact of rising antisemitism. This will launch as a 4 part online series on October 28th, 2024.
She recently partnered with Root One, an initiative of the Jewish Education Project, to provide post-Teen Israel trip engagement. Vanessa continues to seek meaningful ways to unite the Jewish community, especially in these challenging times.

B) In what ways has the nominee demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to their work in bridging divides?

The Z3 award recognizes individuals, not organizations, who have made exceptional contributions to building bridges within the Jewish community. As an independent contractor, Vanessa has been a powerful force in the Jewish world. Through her self-initiated projects, she has made a lasting impact unmatched by any other non-affiliated artist, educator, or speaker in our community. She understands the transformative power of personal stories, drawn from deeply vulnerable experiences, to open hearts and minds. These stories not only entertain but also teach us about our shared humanity. Her commitment to “edutainment”—learning through entertainment—drives her work to unite Jews of all races, faith practices, interfaith identities, genders, and sexual orientations.
Her dedication to empowering young Jews through her speaking engagements, performances and workshops, while fostering challenging conversations among adults, has established her as a leader in modern Jewish education.
After the massacre of October 7th and many stayed silent, Vanessa intensified her activism and dedication to the Jewish community. Speaking out carried significant risks, especially in the social and artistic circles she belonged to. Despite this, Vanessa remained steadfast in her beliefs and sought an opportunity to travel to Israel to show solidarity and document stories to share back home. She has been incredibly active on social media speaking out against Anti-Semitism and wrote and performed a new poem titled "Bad Jew," which explores her experience of identifying as a Zionist in a climate where the term has been increasingly vilified.

C) How has the nominee's work impacted the Jewish community and beyond?

What may surprise many is that Vanessa didn’t initially set out to work in the Jewish community—she never imagined her path would lead her here. Her original dream was to become an actress, and she earned her MFA in Theater from the Trinity Rep Conservatory in Rhode Island. However, when she struggled to find audition material that resonated with her as an urban, Jewish woman, she began writing her own. Upon discovering the Spoken Word scene, she realized this was the perfect space for her words. This natural progression to becoming a leading voice in the Jewish community is what makes her journey so unique.
Vanessa's work has profoundly impacted both the Jewish community and wider audiences by creating space for the exploration and celebration of diverse Jewish identities, challenging stereotypes, and fostering dialogue on complex social issues. Through her pioneering presence in the spoken word and slam poetry scenes, Vanessa became a bold, authentic voice, openly speaking about her Jewish identity at a time when it was rare to see such representation. Her signature poem, “Hebrew Mamita,” resonated with young Jews struggling to express pride in their heritage, providing them with an anthem for self-acceptance. This poem’s reach, featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, connected Vanessa to Jews across the globe, offering representation and a challenge to conventional ideas of Jewish identity.
Her impact extends beyond the Jewish community, as her exploration of being told “you don’t look like” or “you don’t act like” your race or culture resonated with individuals of other ethnic and racial backgrounds. By connecting these experiences of marginalization, Vanessa built bridges between Jewish and non-Jewish communities, drawing attention to shared struggles of identity and discrimination.
Through her creation of projects like Culture Bandit, MONOLOGUES, and the Kaleidoscope Project, Vanessa elevated personal stories as a tool for healing, empowerment, and engagement. These initiatives particularly highlighted voices often marginalized within Jewish spaces, such as Jews of Color, Sephardic, Mizrahi, and interfaith Jews. Her efforts in bridging divides within the Jewish community have led to a greater recognition of the diversity within the Jewish experience. Workshops and performances under these projects have inspired countless individuals, providing safe spaces to explore complex identities and fostering unity among diverse Jewish communities.
Vanessa’s ability to create space for underrepresented voices reached a new level of importance in her work post-October 7th, 2023, when she intensified her activism, traveling to Israel to document stories and express solidarity. Her poem “Bad Jew” addressed the vilification of Zionist identity, resonating with Jews feeling alienated by the political and social climate.
Overall, Vanessa’s work not only amplifies underrepresented Jewish voices but also helps bring the Jewish experience into wider conversations about race, identity, and inclusion. Her leadership, particularly in navigating and bridging the divides between different sectors of the Jewish community and beyond, continues to leave a lasting legacy.