I always got confused when a paper asked, “What was your first language?” I didn’t have one language, I had two. For as long as I could remember, I was spoken to in English and in Spanish. My parents had immigrated in their teens with my grandparents to the United States. By the time their… Continue reading Losing the Language
From Rav Binny Freedman of Isralight on Parshas Balak: “The concept of being ‘chosen’ as a people does not mean we are better than anyone else. What it means is that we, (like any other nation) have our own special gifts and therefore our own special purpose. And this different (and not better) relationship with… Continue reading Am I more special than you?
Rich Addicks/AJCPamela Harris, and her husband, Jimmy, are part of a growing a trend in the US, blacks converting to Judaism. I’m black, Jewish and I’m proud! Okay, I’m not but this article, “Judaism drawing more blacks” takes a look at the African-Americans learning Judaism in Atlanta. Correction: Oy vey, I stand corrected. According to… Continue reading Say it loud!
Extremely excited about a new documentary directed by Laura Wiessen, a current Drisha scholar! More Beloved by G-d is a documentary that tells the story of converts and their journey to Judaism. It hopes that their experiences will offer “unique insights into Jewish identity, community, and faith in the 21st century.” The trailer opens on… Continue reading More Beloved by G-d
Just an update to let everyone know that The Jewish Planet has published my response to reader reactions towards my editorial on RCA conversion policy. I responded specifically to a particularly passionate letter from one convert. You can view both the reader’s letter and my response here: Response to Reader Reaction to Conversion Editorial. Unfortunately,… Continue reading Reacting to Reader Responses
The latest newsletter from Bechol Lashon (In Every Tongue), an organization that asks us to “imagine a new global Judaism that transcends differences in geography, ethnicity, class, race, ritual practice, and beliefs,” introduced me to Lacey Schwartz. Lacey’s parents were good at keeping secrets. They didn’t reveal that her biological father was black until Lacey… Continue reading Outside the box
Bess Greenberg/New York TimesYosef Abrahamson, 16, right, with his mother, Dinah, and his sister, Sarah, near their home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. An recent article, “A Young Man From Omaha, Who May Perfectly Represent Brooklyn,” by Susan Dominus for the New York Times Big City section portrays an interesting picture of some Jews of Color… Continue reading Representing…
Inspired by a line from Juno where the main character, a pregnant teen, refers to herself as a “cautionary whale.” Available at http://teewit.com. Motherhood is hard. And I don’t just mean raising the babies. I mean having them. I mean trying to have them. And yes, raising them is hard, too. After finishing up a… Continue reading Making a baby?
An article published on YNET, a couple of weeks ago, disclosed that a rabbi on the Chief Rabbinical court once ruled that deaf people are ineligible for conversion to Judaism. No matter what the rabbi’s views may be, the whole matter comes off as a matter of discrimination against those with disabilities. And worst, this… Continue reading Deaf need not apply?
Circumcise Me: The Comedy of Yisrael Cambpell will make its debut this month on The Jewish Channel. The film features ultra-Orthodox Jewish comedian Yisrael Campbell, formerly Chris Campbell, doing his hilarious stand-up comedy routine and discussing his journey to Judaism as well as his life in Israel since converting to Judaism (three times no less).… Continue reading Circumcise me
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 