I can’t talk to children below the age of 14. (I was a high school teacher after all.) For me, talking to people under the age of 14 always leads to awkward, strange conversations. My husband shares this same fatal flaw, a group of 10-year-olds once revoked his talking privileges at the Shabbos table. But… Continue reading I see Jewish people
An email from a Jewish convert: The questions I often get about my “Irish” appearance pale (no pun intended) in comparison to what Jews of color must face but it’s still so annoying and intrusive. D. D. Then she goes on to tell me about the time a friend of a friend found out she… Continue reading Awkward much?
“Ethiopians at the gate” (Haaretz) Why is Israel suddenly resuming immigration from Ethiopia? “Jewish school requirements ‘racist,’ British court rules” (Jewish Tribune) Did Britain decide that Judaism is racist? “Who is a convert?” (The Forward) Why Ruth is pretty lucky she’s not converting in 2009…. “New Conversion Legislation” (Ynet) A step forward or a step… Continue reading Conversion News Roundup
Check out my latest piece in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles: “A Lesson for Jews in Gates’ Arrest?”
“So what do you do?” “I’m a freelance writer. I also keep a blog called ‘Memoirs of a Jewminicana.’” “A Jew-what?” “Jewminicana. A Jewish American Dominican.” “Oh.” Confused face. “So your father is Dominican and your mother is….” Trailing off uncomfortably. Eye roll. “Dominican.” Shocked face. “Oh. So, you…” Trailing off uncomfortably again. “Converted.” Silence.
http://video.aish.com/AishSharePlayer/Player.swf On Wednesday night, the fast of Tisha B’av begins. “Tisha B-what?” my friends say. If it isn’t Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or Passover, my non-Jewish or Jewish but less observant friends have no clue what I’m talking about. Why isn’t the saddest day on the Jewish calendar more well-known? I spent my first Tisha… Continue reading Trembling on Tisha B’av
Over at Zinc Plate Press, I was asked this question and for a second, I didn’t have an answer until finally, it poured out of me. Usually, people are trying to find out what strengths from Judaism, I’m bringing to my Latino side, not the other way around. For the answer to this question, mosey… Continue reading What strengths from your Latino background have you brought to Judaism?
Does biracial Jew Rashida Jones have to deal with this crap? MixedJewGirl is making a career out of schooling the uneducated masses, especially when it comes to race relations. In “Cultural Etiquette: Don’t Ask ‘What are you?’”, she’s tackling how to deal with those “stupid questions” I get all the time as a Jew of… Continue reading Schooling the Uneducated Masses
And that’s all folks. It was six stand-up comedy classes for under a $100 at Santa Monica College. The teacher, Kevin Garbee, was awesome. And he coped well with my weird brand of Jewish Dominican humor. Here’s the last routine. Coming out to my family was difficult. Especially since I wasn’t telling them I was… Continue reading Stand-up Comedy Routine #6
“44 Charged by U.S. in New Jersey Corruption Sweep” (NY Times) Everyone’s talking about the latest scandal involving Jews and money. This time it’s rabbis in handcuffs. No, not even rabbis are above the laws of the land. Will the latest news breed more anti-Semitism? Read “More Bad News for Orthodox Jews” by Jew in the City,… Continue reading Rabbis in Handcuffs?
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 