Who would have thought I would ever see the world? The first time I stepped out of the tristate area was to get married in a place I’d never been to before, Connecticut. Okay, actually, I had also been to Orlando, Florida to see Mickey with my aunt and even Pennsylvania to visit the Liberty… Continue reading Italy Trip Recap: The World in My Stomach
A friend of mine told me that he is not going to let me become the stereotype of “the angry black woman.” (Don’t even get me started on how I feel about this stereotype.) This worries me. I worry that some of my blog readers already think it’s too late. I am very sensitive to… Continue reading "Anger Does Not Equal Hate"
A Jewish friend of mine is calling a cab to get home to Washington Heights. I ask her if she’s going to call a Dominican taxi service. I smile and say I only let Dominicans drive me. She just looks at me. (My Dad was a former taxi driver.) Another Jewish friend says, “I think… Continue reading Speaking English
What’s a Jewminicana? Well, for one, a Jewminicana is an American girl of Dominican descent who converts to Judaism. Are you still with me? Well, reverse that because I’m a Jewish Latina…in that order. I’m fusing my identity together with American glue. And just because I put my religion first doesn’t mean I think my… Continue reading What’s a Jewminicana?
Greetings from Ellenville, NY where the LimmudNY conference may or may not take place. We arrived Thursday evening to discover that the heat was broken at the hotel where the conference was to take place. I got to see most of a screening of “My Mexican Shivah” while we waited for rooms to be organized… Continue reading Brrrr!!!!
Pick up the current issue of Latina magazine and you’ll find a familiar face amidst the pages: mine. Check out page 84 of the February issue for my latest piece, “Not-So-Foreign Language” where I chronicle my battles to stay fluent in Spanish in the face of assimilation and cultural conflict. If you’re savvy, you might… Continue reading Aliza Hits Latina Magazine and more….
Sadia Shepard’s op-ed piece in the Forward, “Targeting Tolerance in Mumbai”, has led to a debate about hyphenated identities. One reader, Yehuda, swears they don’t exist. (Are we a myth? I just pinched myself and I seem to be very real.) The other reader, Pamela, an African American/Carribean American (represent!) woman, says we do. Here… Continue reading I don’t exist?
Someone asked me if I feel more comfortable talking in English or talking in Spanish. I told them English. They responded, “I feel more comfortable talking in Spanish. I guess I’m more Latino than you.” Sigh. Now, I know how poor Jessica Alba feels. Her family didn’t pass on the language according to her interview… Continue reading I’m more Latino than you
Junot Diaz was quoted as saying he had to suppress his Dominicanness. Of course, he points out in a piece in Dominican Today that this quote was taken grossly out of context. Who would want to suppress their Dominicanness, in fact? (Not me. And certainly not Junot, who’s stellar Oscar Wao novel is a tribute… Continue reading On Dominicanness
As a teacher, I was told the first rule of thumb is never to assume anything about your students. But many Orthodox synagogues presume a certain level of Jewish education and cater to a select number of congregants that can navigate the Hebrew siddur (prayerbook) with ease. Unfortunately, this raises a barrier for others who… Continue reading English, Please!
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 