Barack Obama · culture/multiculturalism · food · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · language · Los Angeles · pesach · plantains · prayer · race/racism

What’s a Jewminicana?

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?

chronic pain/fibromyalgia · culture/multiculturalism · education · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · music · New York · news · pesach · rabbi · Rabbi Avi Weiss · race/racism · teaching

I ♥ Ari Hart

I just finished writing rewriting this article for a Jewish writing class and I can’t bear that I don’t know when, if ever, it will see the light of day. So, I’m hoping some of you speed readers will give it a second chance and let me know what you think. Redefining Community: Ari Hart… Continue reading I ♥ Ari Hart

culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · New York · news · pesach · rabbi · Rabbi Avi Weiss · writing

A Very Rough Draft of an Interview with Ari Hart of Uri L’Tzedek

Teens with a group of professors and students from Yeshiva University and students from Alianza Dominicana to the “Sosúa: A Refuge for Jews in the Dominican Republic” exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC’s Battery Park City. They boarded a bus from Washington Heights for the field trip. Redefining Community:Ari Hart Builds a… Continue reading A Very Rough Draft of an Interview with Ari Hart of Uri L’Tzedek

books and reading · culture/multiculturalism · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · pesach · prayer · rabbi · race/racism · religion · Shabbos/Shabbat · Yom Kippur

Learn, Learn, Learn

Someone posted that they’re having trouble coordinating learning with an Orthodox rabbi. That’s no surprise to me. I think the only reason my rabbi is so available when I need him is that he doesn’t sleep. Ever. It also helps that I was not entirely dependent on him for all my learning. During my conversion… Continue reading Learn, Learn, Learn

pesach · teaching · writing

Revision Frenzy

“Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.” Colette Okay, now I’m cheating on my blog with my Personal Essay Writing class. I’m completely behind because of Pesach… Continue reading Revision Frenzy

Christmas · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · pesach

Family Time

Judaism is an extreme sport as it is but then no one told me about how things can go haywire when you throw “family time” into the mix. With a holiday every other month, sometimes every other week, it seems that Jewish families, especially Orthodox ones, get thrown together much more often than I was… Continue reading Family Time

Beverly Hills · books and reading · culture/multiculturalism · education · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · Los Angeles · pesach · rabbi · race/racism · teaching

Seder Confusion

http://www.mimisammis.comhttp://www.mimisammis.com/ Hey, people, despite the last post, I promise you, I had a fantastic set of seders. Stop apologizing.My favorite seder was the second because my non-Jewish little sister got to experience her first seder with my in-laws in Los Angeles. But the first seder was great fun thanks to my husband’s aunt and her… Continue reading Seder Confusion

chronic pain/fibromyalgia · gilmore girls · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · pesach · race/racism

Racism, Society, the Jewish community and all that jazz…

So, I (sort of) survived the talk my husband and I gave on “race and Judaism.” No one fell asleep. But better yet, none of the thirty-plus attendees seemed offended and many stopped by afterwards to compliment us. The group of whites, blacks, Jews, had congregated together for this “Race, Society & the Jewish Community”… Continue reading Racism, Society, the Jewish community and all that jazz…

art · babies and pregnancy · hair · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · Los Angeles · pesach · rabbi · teaching · writing

High School Reunion

Well, I missed writing my daily blog post yesterday. My bad. Shabbos was a blur of reading People (thanks to my mother-in-law) and Entertainment Weekly. Kudos to Nicole Kidman’s gestating Aussie spawn and um, poor Britney needs more than Dr. Phil to help her out of this one. Last night, we watched Paprika, an anime… Continue reading High School Reunion