The number one question you want to ask a convert is exactly the question you shouldn’t ask. Asking someone why they converted, just after meeting them, is a little like asking to see their underwear. Don’t you realize you’re asking us to get very naked about something deeply personal in a crowd full of strangers?… Continue reading What to say and what not to say to a convert…(Rough Draft)
So, anyway, how in the world did I become a Jewish writer? If anyone would have told me five years ago that the first big story I would sell would be about my conversion to Judaism, I would have laughed it off. And yet, five years later, my bread and butter comes from Jewish stories… Continue reading The Jewish Writer
Yes, I have been writing a lot about race lately. This is much to the ire of one friend who keeps trying to convince me that race is meaningless. Check out the “Ashkenazi Privilege Checklist” another friend forwarded to me. Ashkenazi Privilege Checklist The checklist was created by Corrine Lightweaver, Sasha King, and the Jewish… Continue reading Ashkenazi Privilege Checklist
In an article in Newsweek, “Beyond Just Black and White,” Raina Kelley writes about wishing her biracial son looked black. It was an utterly honest, perhaps controversially honest, portrayal of one African-American woman’s hopes for her half-white, half-black son. She ended the piece beautifully when she discovered that her son‘s skin was neither black nor… Continue reading Brown Baby
Sick all day with pain and fatigue that’s been worming its way through my entire week. So, again I find myself looking for solace in the TV show, “30 Rock.” I am quite pleased with how worldly “30 Rock” is. Unlike “Friends” which was also set in New York but could never be accused of… Continue reading Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-2980522193469128149&hl=en&fs=trueHere I am practicing for a promo of an upcoming speaking engagement. A thoughtful friend forwarded an article to me called “Unmasking ‘Racial Micro Aggressions’” featured in the Monitor on Psychology. It was a good read since I’m gearing up to speak again in the coming weeks on subtle racism in the Jewish community. Microaggressions… Continue reading Getting Aggressive about Microaggression
What’s a Jewminicana? Well, for one, a Jewminicana is an American girl of Dominican descent who converts to Judaism. Are you still with me? Well, reverse that because I’m a Jewish Latina…in that order. I’m fusing my identity together with American glue. And just because I put my religion first doesn’t mean I think my… Continue reading What’s a Jewminicana?
Everyone said Israel would feel different. That’s what everyone kept telling me when I decided to venture out there in 2006. But when I got off cranky and in pain from the long flight, I didn’t feel anything except crankiness and pain. They told me to go stand by a wall and that would help… Continue reading Motherland’s Calling and it’s a Conference Call
I love my latest Bechol Lashon newsletter! If you’re a Jew of color or a Jew interested in diversity, you should check it out! The latest newsletter includes an article that takes a look at how and why Israeli doctors are teaching Africans to perform circumcision to help fight AIDS in Africa. There’s also an… Continue reading I ♥ Bechol Lashon
I just finished writing rewriting this article for a Jewish writing class and I can’t bear that I don’t know when, if ever, it will see the light of day. So, I’m hoping some of you speed readers will give it a second chance and let me know what you think. Redefining Community: Ari Hart… Continue reading I ♥ Ari Hart
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 