I am not the only Jewminicana. But when I decided to convert, I certainly felt like one. I was the poster child for Jewish Dominican relations in Washington Heights. In fact, I’ve been interviewed as such.

But in Riverdale, after a couple of months of living here, my husband had an interesting encounter on the other side of the mechitzah.

“Hey, have you met the other guy whose wife is Dominican?” one male congregant asked him.

“There’s ANOTHER guy with a Dominican wife?” he asked with shock.

And of course, there was. In fact, there were TWO other guys with Dominican wives in the congregation. And one Dominican guy in the process of converting who has a Brazilian wife. Que?

So, I’m not even the youngest Jewminicana. That right goes to the children of these mixed multitudes. There are almost two handfuls of little Jewminicanos running around.

We’re starting a club. We played around with a couple of names but settled on “Dominyan,” even though there aren’t enough of us (yet) to make up a Dominican minyan. I stress, yet, because you know how Dominicans like their mass production.

So before I settle into my husband’s first poetry reading tonight at the Y, I’ll be interviewing one of the families that make up “Dominyan” to see what, if anything, the Jewminicanos have in common. Other than a penchant for rice, beans and plantains with a side of gefilte fish, that is. It’s part of a series of interviews I have scheduled to track the thoughts and movements of this interesting cast of characters.