My Spanish and Hebrew need work. Let’s table the Hebrew problem for a moment. To solve the Spanish problem, I’ve started reading in Spanish. But it’s so HARD!!! (Tears in my eyes.) My spoken Spanish is much better than my Spanish reading so I’m reading children’s books or (more fun) this blog, “Life in Spanglish”:… Continue reading Life in Spanglish
In the Dominican Republic where the lights cut out when you least expect it, Dominicans like to yell “Se fue la luz!” In Sweden, Swedish fish don’t come in the signature red. In Canada, milk comes in a bag. No really, watch this video below.
I stumbled over a Shakira video in my teens when I was in a phase where anything Spanish was “not cool” and everything else was. And then I saw this Columbian/Lebanese chick with mesmerizing long black locks rocking out hardcore in the fastest Spanish I’d ever heard. It was a turning point for me. I… Continue reading Sexy Shakira
Me: My brother-in-law’s looking for a job. It’s really tough out there. White Jewish Friend: Oh, yeah. I might know some people who might be able to help. Me: That’s great!!! White Jewish Friend: (Long Pause) Does he have papers? Me: (Clueless) What? What kind of papers? White Jewish Friend: You know, is he legal?… Continue reading Aliens Amongst Us
I was only kidding about making a plantain kugel. Really, it was a joke. I mean, I’d never even made a kugel before. This Shabbat, I had planned to make a squash kugel (I didn’t even know what squash was before I was Jewish) but we ate out for both meals (thank you, my cool… Continue reading Oh My G-d…IT EXISTS!
How I feel about “good hair” and “bad hair” is pretty much summed up in “Bagels & Locks” and the numerous previous posts on hair where I talk about the history of my own kinky hairstrands. And in “Every friend’s just a little bit racist”, I wrote: “They can tell me on the day that… Continue reading Straight Hair at Any Cost?
My Jewish hero is my rabbi. I don’t think he sleeps. When he’s not at synagogue, he’s at home slipping invitations for Shabbat meals under the doors of Jewish neighbors. He has brought so many people to Judaism. Luckily, his synagogue is not hurting for cash flow so he doesn’t need me to nominate him… Continue reading Who’s your Jewish hero?
Here’s a nice letter I recently received from a reader:I’ve been following your blog for months and it is a revelation. I am a young South African woman of a mixed race background who has been struggling with the question of an orthodox Jewish conversion for about 2.5 years now and when I discovered your… Continue reading Dear Aliza: I’m Glad Someone Understands
According to family lore, before some of ancestors became Dominican, they were Venezuelan. The reasons why the Venezuelan part of our family hopped over to the Dominican Republic have been lost in family history. Who knows why people pick up and leave the country of their birth? Well, it’s no secret why Jews are leaving… Continue reading Venezuelan Jews Flee to Miami
My mother used to slap us if we spoke slang. And while she never sat down to help us with our homework, as far as I can remember, she would slap us, too, if we didn’t get it done. Acting ghetto and talking ghetto alike were a big no-no in our household. My mother thought… Continue reading A Broader Definition of Family
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 