It might surprise some of you that this self-described Jewminicana actually has a Puerto Rican great-grandfather. I am 7/8 Dominican and 1/8 Puerto Rican. My great-grandfather Demetrio Marrero-Vasquez (pictured below with me in his lap) was a Boricua through and through. I am often asked by people, both Dominican and not, who wonder aloud that… Continue reading Get matched & help a family in Puerto Rico
This Rosh Hashanah, I was accused of un-Rebbetzin-like behavior by a stranger who didn’t even know me, who didn’t even talk to me, at a local minyan I attended. I don’t know this person. I don’t know this person’s name or anything about him or her other than the casually uttered harsh words this person… Continue reading To Those Who Judge Unfavorably…I am NOT a Piñata!
Hope you had a great Rosh Hashana and are gearing up for Yom Kippur this upcoming Shabbos. Ug, I hate when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos but after all the food I had over Rosh Hashana, which this year fell so close to Shabbos it created a 3-day yom tov, I think I’ll be fine!… Continue reading My Jewish Community Heroes
And now (because I’m so Jewish) I will turn into a matzoh ball! Okay, HOW did I miss this video of MaNishtana that pulls in interviews and pieces from his most infamous and awesome videos? The funny thing about moving to New York Los Angeles (Sorry, folks, that was just a homesick typo, I’ve never MOVED… Continue reading And now I turn into a matzoh ball?
I must confess, it wasn’t until fairly recently that I heard the term M.O.T., as in member of the tribe. But then the person who asked if the guy I was telling him about was an MOT, probably had never heard of JOCs, as in Jews of color. I’ll never know. I didn’t ask when… Continue reading Are you a Member of the Tribe?
Camp Be’chol Lashon near San Francisco brings Jewish summer camp to an emerging population of Jews of color. Diane Tobin, the camp’s director, read clues to a scavenger hunt with camper William Kahn, 11. Jim Wilson/The New York Times A long time ago, I stopped reading the comments section of my articles and then eventually,… Continue reading Why I Never Read the Comments Section
I get this question all the time from people in the conversion process (the answer is a little bit different) and people have already converted. When I was in the conversion process, I couldn’t go five minutes without telling people, quite excitedly, that I was converting. Or was it that I couldn’t go five minutes… Continue reading Question: Is a Jewish Convert obligated to reveal their status?
”Estas son las mañanitas” is the song the elders in my family sing to us youngins on our birthday. Hear it: Learn about the song and read the translation: http://gomexico.about.com/od/historyculture/qt/mananitas.htm Not quite sure why this Mexican birthday song is a tradition in our American-Dominican-Turkish-Jewish-Puerto Rican-Venezuelan-and-who-knows-what-else family but it is! Interestingly, the song is said to… Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me!!!!
This is in response to this fantastic post, “On Being Black” that makes me wish all good bloggers got paid! The photo below was taken from Mocha Momma‘s awesome blog. Dear Mocha Momma: (Click there and read her cool bio!)A friend just pointed me to your blog. I guess something about my latest post, told her… Continue reading My Fan Letter to Mocha Momma On Being Black (and more I added later)
Back by popular demand! So many of you sent me emails thanking me for posting about the following comedian but I didn’t except him…fellow JOC (Jew of color), Samson Koletkar, the hilarious Indian Jewish comedian, to personally invite me to his Los Angeles show! (See details below.) Samson will be sharing the stage with one… Continue reading Cool Jewish Events: The Mahatma Moses Tour (Los Angeles/Pasadena, CA)
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 