Category: race/racism

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Conversion in the News Roundup: Because the "Who is a Jew?" question is now an extreme sport!

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

A delicious sampling of the latest news in Jewish conversion! “Shas MK: Ease Conversion for IDF Soldiers of Jewish Descent” (Israeli National News) At some point during the conversion process, I heard that things went a lot smoother if you had a Jewish father or some kind of Jewish ancestry. Too bad I couldn’t unearth… Continue reading Conversion in the News Roundup: Because the "Who is a Jew?" question is now an extreme sport!

friends · Hispanics/Latinos · Israel · jews of color · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · race/racism

I have the right to be treated…

Aliza Hausman8 Comments

like a human being. Not an alien from outer-space. And yet… According to some people, getting overly excited about being Dominican just isn’t Jewish. Repeatedly I’ve been told to tone down my Dominican pride because now I’m a Jew, just a Jew. And well, being proudly Jewish, now that gets on the nerves of some… Continue reading I have the right to be treated…

culture/multiculturalism · dating · funny · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · race/racism

Now with alternate ending: Aliza’s Guide to Interracial Dating

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

As a Latina and now a Jew, I write for both audiences. But a case of writer’s block has gotten me nowhere on an article I was supposed to be writing about interracial dating for a Latino audience weeks ago. I just don’t know where to start. This is coming from the girl whose mother… Continue reading Now with alternate ending: Aliza’s Guide to Interracial Dating

culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · Israel · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · language · race/racism

The Latest News in Conversion, Jewish Diversity and More!

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

I apologize for some of these articles being more than a week old. I’ve been trying to reacclimate myself to New York life and so the news articles have been piling up in my inbox. “The Zionist Melting Pot Boils Over” (The Forward) “Integration of Ethiopian immigrants, always a challenge due to cultural and racial… Continue reading The Latest News in Conversion, Jewish Diversity and More!

culture/multiculturalism · dating · food · funny · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · race/racism

Warming up for an article: The Latin Side of Interracial Dating

Aliza Hausman1 Comment

I’m supposed to have written an article on interracial dating for a Latino audience, like, weeks ago. But I don’t know where to start. This is coming from the girl whose mother had a white boy fetish. Whose father had a black girl fetish. Whose parents came together with their fetishes and made her. I… Continue reading Warming up for an article: The Latin Side of Interracial Dating

dating · race/racism

Racism and Dating

Aliza Hausman9 Comments

My response in “Everyone’s a little bit racist” to a white Jewish friend telling me she wouldn’t marry a black guy, not even a Jewish black guy, was purely emotional. At the time, I felt as if my still beating heart had been ripped out of my body and skewered and barbecued as I watched… Continue reading Racism and Dating

college · culture/multiculturalism · Hispanics/Latinos · jews of color · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · music · rabbi · race/racism

Who’s your Jewish hero?

Aliza Hausman1 Comment

My Jewish hero is my rabbi. I don’t think he sleeps. When he’s not at synagogue, he’s at home slipping invitations for Shabbat meals under the doors of Jewish neighbors. He has brought so many people to Judaism. Luckily, his synagogue is not hurting for cash flow so he doesn’t need me to nominate him… Continue reading Who’s your Jewish hero?

culture/multiculturalism · hair · Hispanics/Latinos · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · race/racism · Yom Kippur

Dear Aliza: I’m Glad Someone Understands

Aliza Hausman2 Comments

Here’s a nice letter I recently received from a reader:I’ve been following your blog for months and it is a revelation. I am a young South African woman of a mixed race background who has been struggling with the question of an orthodox Jewish conversion for about 2.5 years now and when I discovered your… Continue reading Dear Aliza: I’m Glad Someone Understands

culture/multiculturalism · jews of color · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · race/racism

How do I show my children they can be biracial and Jewish?

Aliza Hausman7 Comments

From a prospective convert whose “father is Jewish and mother won’t admit she is.” Can you say…complicated? But she’s less concerned for herself than her biracial children. My oldest son is under the impression that being light-skinned is the norm for the Jewish community and he is having difficulty wanting to be Jewish (although he… Continue reading How do I show my children they can be biracial and Jewish?

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Making the News!

Aliza HausmanLeave a comment

Last week, the local paper, The Riverdale Press contacted me for an interview. Somehow, they had stumbled upon my blog. During the really-early-in-the-morning interview, I hoped that I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much. Mostly, I didn’t.  Check out: “Blogger chronicles her Catholic past, Jewish present”