During the past holidays, I gave an interview to The Lakewood Shopper that I’ve been meaning to post on here. You can see the two parts of the interviews here: “Jewminicana Part I” See pages 64-68 October 4 Issue 19 Volume 9 Illness & Health Women Speak by F. Adams AND… Jewminicana Part II See… Continue reading Jewminicana in Lakewood

(I was at home for both photos but yes, that’s my hair uncovered. May you never suffer from the multiple conditions that cause my head, face, scalp to constantly hurt. I am likely one of the few women to get a heter for hair covering due to severe health problems.) T-H-I-N. THIN.  In high school… Continue reading I have always been…

Okay, as if it wasn’t shocking enough to find out that I was significantly English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish Catholic as in Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland and French when I thought I was strictly half Iberian Peninsula and half African in ancestry, Ancestry.com discovers yet another interesting tidbit. I have always joked that I’m… Continue reading Wait, I’m what?! Putting the Anglo in Anglo-Saxon.

someone asks (very infrequently) in Los Angeles: Where are you from? Where are your parents from? Where are your grandparents from? What’s your maiden name? What’s your background? I’m either going to recite from my blog or tell them: “If you REALLY want to know, you’ll have to Google it.” 🙂

So after the whole Earl thing, my husband decided to refer to me only as Princess Aliza, Lady Aliza and Duchess Aliza and said that it explained my noble (read: holier-than-thou, I’m right, you’re not, bossy) behavior. Not. Cool. My friends and fans on Facebook on the other hand were confused because the current Earl… Continue reading Where I Come From (Part 4) aka MY WORLD TOUR

AND THEN CAME ANCESTRY.COM: As I was ogling and showing all my friends the varied results, the results from Ancestry.com’s new genetic test came back and I had some new perplexing data to deal with: 41% Southern European (Modern Day Italy, Spain and Portugal) 29% West African (Modern Day Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Gabon,… Continue reading Where I Come From (Part 3)-ALIEN!!!!!!!

23andMe’s Speculative Estimate made things a bit more interesting. The largest changes were in my European descent. I was 58.2% European:          46% Southern European:                   20.6% Iberian                   9.3% ItalianPlus that same pinch of Sardianian (0.1%) and… Continue reading Where I Come From (Part 2)-NONSPECIFIC

As far as I knew before any genealogical tests, I was Dominican: the product of a white Dominican father and a mixed race afro-Dominican mother. I was decidedly Spanish. I was also African. And maybe I was a bit Taino, the Native Americans who were on the island before the Spanish descended upon them. And… Continue reading Where I Come From (Am I a Sardine?)

want to ask me what I am or where I’m from or what my background is anymore. In Los Angeles, it’s a different world. The Jewish world is smaller and the diversity is obvious as you walk down Pico Blvd. past the Persian, Yemenite, Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues and minyanim. Nobody thinks I’m Hispanic in… Continue reading Trust me, you really don’t…

Before this year ends and Rosh Hashanah begins next week, I want to thank G-d for the most precious gift my family received this year: my niece Leyla. We also received first my niece Emme and various new first cousins. All healthy. And I have a little brother or sister on the way shortly. But… Continue reading I am thankful for…