The Jewish Press story, “A Dominican Haven for Jews Fleeing Hitler” by Mirna & Robert Ulfik tells the story of how one evil Dominican dictator and one little island in the Carribean saved hundreds of Jews from Hitler’s wrath. I haven’t had the pleasure yet of visiting Sosúa, the area where Jews settled and where… Continue reading How Dominicans Saved Jews: Bedtime Stories from Sosua
For some reason, I’m always shocked to learn that a fellow Dominican didn’t grow up in Washington Heights. But according to the 2000 Census detailed in “Census Shows Growing Diversity in New York City”, that should come as no surprise since Dominicans and Mexicans make up 51% of the population in the Bronx. It might… Continue reading Dominican and Jewish Boom in New York City
“Mumbai and the Chabad Movement” is another great Op-Ed piece (this time in the Wall Street Journal) about the tragedy in Mumbai, this time focusing on the Chabad movement itself. I do disagree with the line that calls the movement somehow “endangered,” despite the recent physical attacks, there is already work to rebuild the Mumbai… Continue reading The Chabad Movement
Who’s the monkey in the middle? Just what is a “playful humiliation”? Read Dacher Keltner’s “In Defense of Teasing” to find out. As a self-professed survivor of teasing, I’m just not buying his story. And I wonder if most Jews would after hearing time and time again that embarrassing someone is tantamount to murder.
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?
When a Jewish friend railed against Barack Obama’s Jewish pick for Chief of Staff, calling it “pandering to the Jews,” I told him to suck it up. After all, it didn’t look like Obama was going to be pandering to Hispanic voters any time soon. “Consider yourself lucky,” I said in so many words. But… Continue reading Over-representation under Obama for Jewish Latino Writers
“Jewish leaders pressing Israel over conversions” made me wonder why Israel does not pursue instituting secular marriage, secular burial rights, really, secular options. Why fight to make conversion secular when these institutions themselves can be made secular? Give people choices. As the article notes, it doesn’t seem fair that so many immigrants were allowed to… Continue reading Does Israel Need Secular Options?
“Black Friday in Wal-mart”
How many ways can the Jewish people hate each other? Let me count the ways. “Another Bad Date between Israel and Diaspora Jews?” chronicles yet another example of Jew-on-Jew hate. And if you’re looking for more examples, check out the comments to my article 100% Kosher which included comments that real Jews live in Israel… Continue reading Another bad date between American and Israeli Jews
Ethiopian Jews are black and beautiful.:) I don’t know much about Ethiopian Jews. But I remember seeing them in Israel and feeling not-so-out of place. Look, I would tell my husband, that girl has my hair! (Only bigger and better usually.) I got most of my information about the community though from a wedding present.… Continue reading Learning about Ethopian Jewry
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 