culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · jews of color · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism

A Jew of non-color?

What makes someone a Jew of color? When I recently met up with other Jews of color, I realized that I was the pastiest face in the room. I was the only one who could convincingly (and I have before) pass as just some tanned Ashkenazi or more likely, Sephardic girl. Does that mean I’m… Continue reading A Jew of non-color?

culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York

A self-titled Jewrican does stand-up….

As part of the Birthright Israel Next Monologues, Ruby Marez riffs about her upbringing in a Puerto Rican and Ashkenazi Jewish family in St. Louis. Thanks for Interfaithfamily.com for this clip. P.S. I think Jewrican isn’t as cool as “Jewyorican” (Jew plus New York plus Puerto Rican) or “Jewricua” (Jew plus Boricua). I got these… Continue reading A self-titled Jewrican does stand-up….

Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · news

Ay Carajo! Haitians and Dominicans Take to the Streets

(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)Demonstrators damage a Dominican Republic’s flag during a protest in Port-au-Prince, Friday, May 8, 2009. People hurled stones and tore down a sign at the Dominican Republic’s consulate in Haiti to protest the decapitation slaying of a Haitian in Santo Domingo. In America, Mexicans are the bottom of the food chain. Whether native… Continue reading Ay Carajo! Haitians and Dominicans Take to the Streets

celebrities · Hispanics/Latinos · Junot Diaz · news

Ode to Manny Ramirez

Dominicans are more than baseball players, I wrote on Twitter. But all the news articles that mentioned Dominicans, which Google Alerts kindly scoured the Internet for and compiled for me, seemed to say something different. The latest articles all focused on Manny Ramirez and how he recently confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs during some of… Continue reading Ode to Manny Ramirez

Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · Star Trek · television

Getting Trekked Out

Hello, my name is Aliza and I am a Trekkie. No, I have never been to a “Star Trek” convention (though I’ve wanted to go). No, I haven’t watched every single episode of every incarnation in the series. But I can tell a Tribble from a tricorder, though Newsweek was correct to claim that the… Continue reading Getting Trekked Out

books and reading · culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · language · television

Spelling Circles Round Y’all

I know it’s shocking to some people that I can speak such good English. I mean, it’s not like it’s my first language or anything. It’s not like my parents, who both came to the States as children, were fluent in English or anything. I mean, really, it’s not like I read the classics for… Continue reading Spelling Circles Round Y’all

culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism

One woman, eight hilarious characters

Wow. What a speech. Quite a character this Sarah Jones. No idea what TED is (and too exhausted to look after all this rainy weather wearing down my aching bones) but her impressions of everyone from an opinionated elderly Jewish woman to a fast-talking Dominican college student (both dead on!) were incredible.

culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York · poetry

Bless you!

Fellow Latina Jewish artist Maya Escobar, who has been featured on this blog before, recognized her own when she decided to feature Vanessa Hidary, the Hebrew Mamita, on her own blog. The YouTube video below is the Jewess’s riff on “Ga Bless You Ma.” For those of you innocents, this is a common enough phrase slung… Continue reading Bless you!

Hispanics/Latinos · news · religion

Pro-Choice…

According to several news outlets, the government of the Dominican Republic has voted to approve a constitutional amendment that would effectively end legalized abortion around the country. Dominican doctors say that women will die. The amendment was passed after a massive campaign by the Catholic Church. OH. MY. G-D. ‘Nuff said.

Hispanics/Latinos · Israel · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · news

Mexican Flu

Mr. P–? P– Diddy? “Is it safe to go outside?” you must be wondering upon hearing the news that the swine flu has made its way to our coast. And the answer? I’m not sure. I’ve logged onto the CDC website every day since I first heard of the outbreak but the answer hasn’t gotten… Continue reading Mexican Flu