Jewpanese Project
Follow the journey on Instagram @JewpaneseProject
Between May 2020 to November 2024, a community of Jewpanese people and Jewpanese families all over the world met virtually on the second Sunday of the month in celebration of Jewish and Asian Heritage Months. This community wanted to record their lived experiences and stories at the intersection of being Jewish and Japanese, which resulted in an oral history project conducted by Carmel Tanaka called the Jewpanese Project (formerly, the JEWPANESE Oral History Project).
With a foot in both the Japanese and Jewish worlds, communities traditionally closed to diversity and with a long history of emigration and expulsion, this project touches on the sensitive subject of whether Jewpanese people can really belong anywhere, touching on cultural identity, belonging, acceptance, and a future where Jewpanese no longer feel alone.
According to UrbanDictionary, Jewpanese is defined as "an individual of mixed Japanese and Jewish ancestry. There are probably like seven of them". Not only are there more than seven of us, being Jewpanese is diverse. Whether you have one parent of each, or were adopted into, or are Jewpanese by choice, you are invited to participate in the oral history project. Carmel is still accepting requests for written interviews at this time. Contact Carmel to receive your interview package!
The Jewpanese Project has grown into an international multi-phase community project at the intersection of being Jewish and Japanese:
The collection phase of the Jewpanese Project was funded by Carmel Tanaka’s fellowship with the Anti-Defamation League Collaborative for Change Fellow (2022-2023). The original project proposal was to collect 20 interviews across Canada, U.S., Israel and Japan. The response for interviews was bountiful with a total of 80+ worldwide, increasing the project size 4 times!
On March 13, 2022, the Jewpanese Project started an Instagram channel @JewpaneseProject
In June 2023, the Jewpanese Project became recipient of a Jews of Color Initiative research grant to aggregate data from the U.S. based interviews
In October 2023, the Jewpanese Project became a project under the U.S. fiscal sponsorship of Mission.Earth to help with grants and donations for future phases of the project. In September 2025, Mission.Earth closed its operations, and Carmel is now in search for a new fiscal sponsor
On May 10, 2025, a selection of U.S.-based interviews was released for a “soft launch” of the Jewpanese Project Archives
On June 26, 2025, the Jewpanese Project became recipient of the Yosef Wosk Publication Grant, administered by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, to help cover costs to process the Vancouver-based interviews
On November 30, 2025, the Research Report: The Jewpanese American Experience was released and submitted to Jews of Color Initiative
Instagram | linktr.ee
Future research and project phases
Carmel seeks funding to process the remaining interviews in Canada, Israel, Japan and elsewhere (Australia, UK, and Europe), in order to aggregate the data and share a research report on the Jewpanese Global Experience
Carmel would also like to secure funding to organize a multi-day conference where Jewpanese people from all over the world can gather, meet, learn, create, cook, eat, and exist together
