Director, Jewish Outreach & Partnerships, ADL
Tema Smith (she/her) is a diversity advocate, writer and Jewish community builder. She is currently the Director of Jewish Outreach & Partnerships for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Tema was previously the Director of Professional Development at 18Doors (formerly InterfaithFamily). This comes after seven years as a synagogue professional, most recently as the Director of Community Engagement at Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto’s oldest synagogue. Tema is also a contributing columnist at The Forward whose writing has been published in MyJewishLearning, the Globe and Mail, and the Canadian Jewish News, and a member of the Nexus Task Force examining the issues at the nexus of Israel and Antisemitism in America and of the inaugural cohort of the Shalom Hartman Institute Seminar & Writers Workshop for Journalists. She speaks and trains frequently on racial equity, diversity and antisemitism for synagogues, Jewish organizations, and community groups across North America. She holds certificates in Instructing Adults from George Brown College, and Leadership and Inclusion through the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and Centennial College this month. Tema lives in her hometown of Toronto with her sidekick, an twelve-year-old extraordinarily stubborn shih tzu named Tashi and his tiny buddy Padma, her pour over coffee gear, and way too many books.