Comments

1. gatamala wrote:

   Great article!

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:11 am ¶

2. juju wrote:

   Thank you for this post.

   Loolwa Khazzom is doing some great work around multiculturalism within Jewish communities.

   http://www.loolwa.com/archive/multiculturalism/index.shtml

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:22 am ¶

3. Sarah J wrote:

   Wow.

   When I was growing up, the only real friend I had who came from a conservative Jewish household was also Latina. Her father was a Mexican Jew and they spoke Spanish and English (as well as the requisite Hebrew for prayers). It never struck me as odd.

   It always bothered me a bit that people seemed to see Judaism as a racial thing that you had to be born into, or as something you could pick out about someone from across the room. Because yes, that leaves out people who don’t look Jewish, and it also seems to make it less a religious and cultural identity and more about a nose.

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:23 am ¶

4. Just Plain Ol' Me wrote:

   “Wait a minute. That’s possible? You’re gonna have to explain,” demanded a boisterous girl — who then quickly professed her great love of salsa.

   What’s wrong with loving salsa? It really does taste great on lots of different foods. Oh, wait! You mean she was talking about salsa music? Never mind.

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:37 am ¶

5. Lyonside wrote:

   Awesome post! My husband’s family is very likely part of that diaspora who has lost their heritage. The result has been a lot of spiritual wandering on one side, and a lack of spiritual identification of any type on the other. From what I’ve seen, at least from a distance, there has been a familial struggle for identity, a fluidity that has not had such positive results - a weird combination of racism and anti-semitism that the family is still (not) dealing with.

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:41 am ¶

6. sylvie wrote:

   i know little about jewish communities and the diversity within them, so i thought this was great and very well written. the rabbi funnye quote is also very resonant.

   i’ve heard people joke that i couldn’t possibly blend in naturally in a synagogue or jewish family because i’m asian. and then it always makes me think of the Donna Chang(stein) episode of “Seinfeld.”

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 10:53 am ¶

7. emfole wrote:

   Great post! As a Ashkenazi Jew growing up among all Christians, I was sure that being Jewish was about bagels, lox, dark curly hair etc. I ran into my first Sephardic Jew not too long ago and also read Yentel’s Revenge- a terrific feminist collection by Jewish womyn of various backgrounds- and I still have a lot of self-education to do. This is all still new and interesting to me…I mean, Jews didn’t go tromping around the world colonizing with missionaries in tow… So, how are there anything but Mizrahi Jews in the world?

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:09 am ¶

8. Abu Sinan wrote:

   I have been to Israel and Palestine several times and I was astounded to see the divide in Israel between European Jews and those who come from the Arab and African world.

   The treatment of Arab and Ethiopian Jews in Israeli is sometimes pretty bad.

   I am rather interested in the Sephardic community and it is a shame that these Jewish communities that never left the Middle East are often treated as outsiders by those Jews who come from Europe.

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:14 am ¶

9. Fatemeh wrote:

   Great post! In both our religious communities (Muslim and Jewish) we often have a difficult time getting over what a “normal” Muslim or Jewish person should look like and what sort of background s/he should have.

   Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:34 am ¶

10. Keren wrote:

    Yes!!! Thank you so much for this post. People of colour exist in the Jewish community, and we’re not a minority. It’s so irritating to see Jewishness always represented as if it was monopolised by Ashkenazi culture

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:58 am ¶

11. Ephraim wrote:

    Pardon me if i’m being presumptuous here, but to those of you’ve who’ve commented about the Jewish community not being only Ashkenazi or that there’s a non-Ashkenazi majority, i believe that part of Anna’s point is that she is Ashkenazi (like deep, Yiddish-speaking, diaspora-dwelling Ashkenazi - we’re not just talking bagels and woody allen here)…and she’s Puerto Rican…and those things are not at odds. Ashkenazi does not equal white, and a multi-ethnic Jewishness does not equal Mizrahi/Sephardi.

    As far as why multiethnic Jews remain objects of fascination (or fetishization, i’ll add) in mostly white Jewish spaces, i think that, poshet and prost [plain and simple], it’s a matter of long standing insularly and carefully crafted xenophobia that were until recently useful survival tactis, the cultural memory of which is still strong. It’s not an especially satisfying answer, i know, but that doesn’t mean those tendencies can’t be worked against.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 12:32 pm ¶

12. ChiquitaBonita wrote:

    Being half Dominican and Jewish I can totally relate. My whole life I’ve had people say I’m only “half Jewish” despite the fact that the only religion I was ever involved in growing up was Judaism. Or people reacting with total shock when they find out I’m part Hispanic. My father, who isn’t Jewish, still has a Jewish last name. People repeatedly make remarks like “Wow. Its lucky you weren’t born with a last name like (insert Hispanic sounding name here).” As if I could only ‘pass’ as Jewish because my name was acceptable to people. I’ve also had Sephardic friends question me on why I’m not Sephardic if I’m Hispanic.

    What I find funny about it is that I’ve heard so many Jews take pride in saying that “there are Jews everywhere in the world” or “there are Jews in every country”. Yet when they actually meet someone whose ethnicity doesn’t fit neatly into their notions of what a Jew is, they completely don’t understand.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 1:11 pm ¶

13. Matt wrote:

    Thanks for your story. It seems to me there’s a lot focus lately on multiculturalism in Jewishness. The recent “Cincinnati Celebrated As One” festival for Israel’s 60th seems to me to be but one example. I wonder how non-white Jews feel about that.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 1:14 pm ¶

14. Keren wrote:

    Ephraim, I’m pretty sure that Ashkenazi does equal white. ‘Ashkenaz’ is the Hebrew word for Germany. There are some Ashkenazi communities who migrated to South America, but they’re still white, and they’re still Ashkenazi. The only way they would not be is through intermarriage or if their families choose to perform other Jewish customs. But you’re right in saying that not all multi-ethnic Jews are Sephardi and Mizrachi, there are African, Chinese and Indian Jews too.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 1:27 pm ¶

15. Joanna wrote:

    When my cousin was a little kid, his teacher asked him about his heritage, and he replied, “My mom is Chinese. My dad is Jewish, but he speaks English.”

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 1:40 pm ¶

16. Maria_Elena wrote:

    “… or the time an astonished woman blurted out, upon hearing my full name, “But — you’re so smart!”…”

    This has been the crux of my life.

    The anger burns in my soul and radiates from my skin. But I suppose we can only do what Rabbi Capers C. Funnye says to do: “I believe that people cannot know you unless you make yourself known.” So you’ve gotta grit your teeth and charge ahead at the b.s. powers that be.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 1:46 pm ¶

17. Erica B. wrote:

    My husband is Ashkenazi, and I converted; I’m not “genetically” Jewish at all. So when I say I am, it confuses EVERYBODY, including myself at times.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 2:13 pm ¶

18. Suzanne wrote:

    I’ve been studying Judaism for the past six years, and I will convert in August. I can relate to Anna with the way people sometimes try to pin me down, within and outside of the Jewish community.

    While there a certainly numerous ethnic and cultural influences in Judaism, it is essentially a religious community, and I’m constantly amazed at how many people classify the Jewish people simply as a “race.” Some people even believe all the garbage Hitler tried to put forth about head size, nose shape, etc. I cannot tell you how many non-Jews have told me things ranging from, “Oh, you’re Jewish? Yeah…I can see it in your nose..” to “I have never met any blond Jews; it’s not possible.” I even meet people who don’t think it’s possible to convert; they think there needs to be some bloodline for someone to live as a Jew.

    I tend to blend in with my skin color in Ashkenazi communities, but people get a funny look on their faces when I tell them my Finnish last name. I’m sure the several thousand Jews in Finland feel the same way when they travel to the US or Israel.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 2:28 pm ¶

19. juju wrote:

    @ Ephraim
    Great points, we really need to expand our notions of what it means to be Jewish, including what it means to be Ashkenazi. People see brown skin, they hear Jewish, and assume Sephardi, Mizrahi, Yemeni, etc.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 2:32 pm ¶

20. emfole wrote:

    so she can’t be Azhkenazi and Puetro Rican unless she is mixed or someone converted?? Someone please clarify

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 2:40 pm ¶

21. Andy wrote:

    My girlfriend is converting, and her name is very obviously hispanic… we’ve had more awkward moments in less-religious circles though. I think that more religious communities are more agressive in excluding interfaith couples, so on the one hand, there is some active suspicion as an initial threshold, but more religious communities also place more of an emphasis on religious, rather than ethnic, identity, so there is less curiosity about your ethnic background. My more religious relatives have a much easier time accepting her religious conversion than my less-religious relatives, whose ties to judaism are more ethnic.

    It is a sad fact, though, that progressive jewish denominations are heavily ashkenazi dominated (sephardim who are less religious tend to continue to attend religious synagogues) and sephardic communities have extreme social norms that cut against marrying outside of their particular heritage, to the point that there are ripples from a syrian marrying a persian. As a result, diversity of jewish heritage is still unusual. I think that modern orthodox communities will be among the first to cut against this bias, as there are so many converts currently, particularly converts who are women of color, and they are often the most active members of the community, and the American modern orthodox rabbinate is working very hard to gain international respect for their conversions, making it a frequent topic of conversation within the movement, and thereby increasing awareness. This will hopefully have a trickle-down effect for jews from birth, who happen not to be of dominantly eastern and central european extraction.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 2:49 pm ¶

22. Ephraim wrote:

    @Keren

    Yes, the word Ashkenaz is roughly equivalent to the area of land that is now Germany in biblical Hebrew. But, more than referring to the skin color of the Jews descended from central and eastern Europe (which, is pretty widely variable, by the way), Ashkenaz a 1000+ year old culture with a language, folkways, songs, aesthetics, literature, dance, architecture, etc. If a non-white jew is a part of the continuing heritage of that culture (either through familial ties or affinity), then she is Ashkenazi. That’s what i meant by Ashkenazi not being equal to white.

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 3:37 pm ¶

23. Haviva wrote:

    see, a lot of ashkenaz are elitist - esp. the secular ashkenazi. personally, i don’t see what the big deal is.. (eg. we’re all Jews and everyone has, at one point in time wanted to kill us lol)

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 6:23 pm ¶

24. Aliza Hausman wrote:

    I’m a Latina (Dominican) American Jew writing a book about living with a multicultural identity aftter converting to Judaism. I loved this blog. It spoke to me and so many of the Jews of Color that I know fight the good fight in the sometimes racist (Jew and non-Jewish) and narrow-minded worlds.

    I have linked this blog to my own blog reflection of a JCC Talk I attended about Jewish of color: http://www.alizahausman.net/2008/05/reflections-on-jcc-talk-on-jews-of.html

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:44 pm ¶

25. marge twain wrote:

    Thank you, Anna
    Although I’m not Jewish I am often on the recieving end of the “How are you possible/Justify your existence to me” questions/comments.
    It’s always from well-meaning, genuinely curious people which makes it impossible for me to just tear out my hair and scream like I want to in response.
    We need to have learned this shit in civics class: Don’t project one’s stereotypes onto others and don’t think one has the right to confront others with ignorance, however well-intentioned!

    Posted 14 May 2008 at 11:59 pm ¶

26. superchunk12 wrote:

    One of the most interesting episodes of prejudice i have ever experienced is from my boyfriend’s mother’s family. As a woman who is half Puerto Rican, Half Jamaican and obviously black, It was a mix of you’re not White or Jewish… Why are you here? My boyfriends mom’s family migrated from Russia to Cuba during the colonial period, but they consider themselves fully Cuban. That being neither here nor there, my most treasured moment was when they discovered I spoke Spanish as well so they just stopped talking around me. The intersectionalities of prejudice are so interesting. The great news is since we have been together so long, and they realize I’m not going anywhere, They’ve started talking to me again, and that makes his mom happy, and when she’s happy, we’re happy.

    Posted 15 May 2008 at 12:46 am ¶

27. YamYam wrote:

    Just another instance of Americas cultural landscape. Imagine what they would have told you if you were black? Would they have said anything at all?

    It’s worthy of note to me because I think that Jews and Hispanics have a certain affinity, linguistically, that is carried into the nature of their cultural customs. Yiddish culture is particular in a way that is more Latin than Nordic.

    I don’t think Jews vs. Hispanics has as many points of contention (historical hatred, details of social prejudice) as other subconscious ethnic rivalries in the United States. I think Hispanics are the “dark skinned ones who don’t make me feel guilty,” for white America.

    Posted 15 May 2008 at 3:19 am ¶

28. ilana wrote:

    As an Ashkenazi who grew up in Maine (one of the whitest states in the U.S.) I was often confused about my ethnic identity. I don’t know even now whether I should consider myself white or not.
    Though Ashkenazi means “German”, no one in my family is. We are all Russian. Those in my family who are not in the U.S. are in Israel.

    I feel terrible that non-Ashkenazim are sometimes treated badly by Ashkenazim, but I think it may stem from an insular quality which itself stems from hundreds of years of persecution in Europe. We (Ashkenazim) have learned to trust only are own, as sad as that is.
    I’m not advocating this behaviour, only explaining it.

    Posted 15 May 2008 at 2:56 pm ¶

29. sfsinger wrote:

    I think what is missing is a discussion of the integration of immigrants who came to the US by choice. Not all Europeans were considered ‘white’ and to assimilate they categorized every group white or other. Also sharing a similar religious heritage does not guarantee being inclusive or without prejudice.

    Posted 15 May 2008 at 3:50 pm ¶

30. kiki wrote:

    I think Hispanics are the “dark skinned ones who don’t make me feel guilty,” for white America.

    Which might help explain why they have a no qualms about exploiting even the most vulnerable of us while openly demanding that we “get on back to Mexico”. “Hispanics” are viewed by white Americans as brown invaders that sneak into “their”country under cloak of darkness to commit crimes, undermine the English language, spread disease and turn the U.S. into a third world barrio. Look at the immigration fight or the English only one….ugly stuff. They might lack guilt but they have a truck load of hate.

    In my home state of New Mexico there is a long and fascinating history of conversos or cypto-Jews. Spanish Jews forced to hide their Judaism and practice in secret. It is another chapter in this complex history.

    Posted 16 May 2008 at 5:22 am ¶

31. emfole wrote:

    I am Ashkenazi and I appreciate the diversity of all Jewish folks all over. Being a Jew of Eastern European descent, I am a part of this one kind of Jewish ethnicity called Ashkenazi. Like most peoples around, identity is complicated; but to claim that we shouldn’t recognize Jewish ethnicity because *say in spooky voice* hitler called Jews a race has always been ridiculous and is just so tired an explanation. Besides that, it ALLOWS the Holocaust and the ideas that allowed it to happen to define our existence! So go ahead and convert, more power to you. Your converting does not need to re-define my experience. For me, being Jewish is in my blood and is a combination of the morals, culture and physical self that I, my family and other Ashkenazi Jews possess.

    Posted 16 May 2008 at 9:56 am ¶

32. Anna wrote:

    (This is Anna, who wrote the post:)

    Thanks so much for reading! Here are a few responses to your comments:

    * American Jewish society is not just a microcosm of American society in general; likewise, American ethnic politics don’t map directly onto Jewish communities. For example: Sephardim were among the first major wave of immigrants to the US, followed by German Jews and then Poles. Thus, there were Sephardic and German-run organizations to teach Eastern European Jews how to get ‘Americanized.’ (Gender roles don’t exactly map either, but that deserves its own post…) In my own Jewish community are Jews from Iraq, Iran, Portugal, Italy, Syria, etc — each family with their own experiences and degree of insularity.

    * There’s no need to denigrate Ashkenazi culture/identity when talking about Jewish diversity. I take great inspiration from its deep radical tradition and many other facets. In fact as I type, the Yiddish version of “Der Internationale” is blasting in the background : )

    * I don’t think the goal should just be ‘acceptance’ of others into an established community, which sets up the nonconforming individual to be psychologically vulnerable. (As my parents say when I complain: ‘Avoid self pity and just tell’em to go to hell.’) Rather, I want to decentralize the idea of what ‘Jewish’ means, both in Jewish communities and in the larger discourse about multiculturalism. Jews of color often deal with anti-Semitism from those outside their religious community, and racism — subtle, overt, accidental, whatever — on the inside. And then of course, Orientalism can hit from all sides…

    I want an understanding of anti-Jewish oppression to be woven into anti-racist movements, and I want difference within Jewish communities to be recognized. Imagine what anti-racist work could look like then…!

    (Check out my friend’s zine on this subject at http://www.pinteleyid.com/past/ )

    Posted 16 May 2008 at 12:58 pm ¶

33. leah wrote:

    there seemed to be a major subject matter missing in this article. mainly, it seems impossible to me to confront racism in the american jewish community without dealing with the implications of zionism. while the treatment of sephardic and ethiopian jews in israel is far from fair, it’s still much preferable than being a palestinian. nelson mandela himself compared it to apartheid south africa, having been subjected to ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and systemic impoverishment. as long as the american jewish community supports ethno-nationalism, there will always be an “other”. of course, not all american jews support zionism, but our voices have been marginalized and and attacked by the mainstream jewish organizations. sorry if you feel out of place at a conference, but that honestly seems trite compared with what palestinians have to go through on a daily basis.

    Posted 16 May 2008 at 7:01 pm ¶

34. superchunk12 wrote:

    Yam Yam,
    did you mean African American?Because I am black… I am ethnically Jamaican and Puerto Rican.

    Posted 16 May 2008 at 7:51 pm ¶

35. nadia wrote:

    i think this was a great article and an important subject for jews of color– i have friends who would probably refuse to be in a space like the one anna described because of so many past bad experiences–, and the rest of this comment is not about this article.

    why does racialicious have two items relating to jewish issues on the front page (this article and part of the links post) and not one single thing about palestinians during this week and month which is the commemoration of the beginning of the genocide of the palestinian people? i just want to know. i have never seen ya’ll post ANYTHING about palestinians ever before (although i have seen you all cover cases of anti-semitism regularly), and i think it’s particularly insensitive and alienating that you don’t post anything at this time and instead post articles that relate to jewish issues and don’t mention palestinians or zionism.

    there is plenty to cover in the media treatment of israel’s “60th birthday” (it makes me sick to type that). has anybody seen the news? palestinians are remembering the biggest catastrope in our history, israelis are celebrating it, and american media is completely uncritical, celebrating too — maybe because criticism of zionism implicates the united states as a fellow colonizing body committing genocide of the indigenous people on a daily basis (as your post on boarding schools points to)?

    i’m not saying that you shouldn’t cover jewish issues and cases of anti-semitism or that these issues aren’t important. i’m saying that other people of color often leave out palestinian issues (and arab peoples issues in general) because they think they are too complicated to deal with or they wanna be “apolitical”, or maybe because they identify more strongly with jewish people and think that to advocate for fairness for palestinians is antisemitic (it’s not), or they buy into the media message that says we’re all fanatical terrorists, or because they are christian and they think israel is justified in whatever it does cause the bible said so (but i really don’t want to neglect to ackowledge all the people of color who are in solidarity with palestinians and advocate for us constantly). i think it’s really important to talk about because it contributes to the continuing genocide of my people if we don’t talk about it, and if my people are not free than your people are not free.

    there are TONS of palestinian bloggers out there. check palestineblogs.org, do a google search, or look at the links on my blogroll, please!
    
    Mod Note: I have a post on Palestine scheduled for Tuesday. I just permission to cross-post Friday. - LDP

    Posted 17 May 2008 at 8:35 am ¶

36. ampsy wrote:

    leah,
    First of all that comment wasn’t fair, the author of the post may not be facing a real situation of war, hunger, exodus and devastation, but unfortunately that doesn´t prevent her for still having a situation that bothers her in her life. In fact, most human beings don´t feel better about their circumstances because others are facing worse scenarios. Spaces like these are meant for people that want to express themselves while creating awareness of certain issues, such as racism and exclusion and all the readers should respect and keep the irony to themselves. Second, I do congratulate you for your effort to bring awareness to the suffering Israelians are inflicting on Palestinians but that has more to do with the American Policy in the Middle East (i.e. the creation of Israel and Jordan) which had proved very effective in destroying multiethnic societies all around the globe but this is a subject for other discussion.

    Posted 17 May 2008 at 9:21 am ¶

37. Celeste wrote:

    @ nadia: yeah, the palestinian side of the issue isn’t given equal coverage in the media in general and (whatever the myriad complex reason that is I have no idea) it’s bothered me since the moment I became aware of it. It’s not fair to ignore their suffering and it certainly doesn’t increase the level of understanding among the US electorate. I’m looking forward to the post on Palestine. I hope that we’re able to discuss without going apeshit.

    Posted 17 May 2008 at 2:32 pm ¶

38. leah wrote:

    i can acknowledge that maybe my calling the writer’s issues “trite” in comparison to the oppression that palestinians face was perhaps uncalled for. i realize now, after reading nadia’s excellent post, that my discontent should not have been against the author of that particular post, but should have been directed at the editors of racialicious who routinely marginalize palestinian issues via complete lack of coverage. i’m glad to see that there will be a post on tuesday, but in all honesty it should have been part of the discussion since day 1. it’s not like this is a new issue; the silence on this blog as millions around the world mourned the anniversary of al-nakba last week was deafening.

    one big disappointment about this blog has been what seems like it’s uncritical endorsement of barack obama, who has promised his complete support to maintaining israeli military supremacy and it’s status as an apartheid state. i hope that in future coverage of this issue, golden boy obama will be up for criticism for his support for racism on this issue and others.

    Posted 18 May 2008 at 10:43 pm ¶

39. Ephraim wrote:

    I understand the frustration about lack of coverage of Palestinian issues in the media at large. And if the two recent posts were specifically about Israelis or Israel, then i think your criticism would be well directed. However, they weren’t about Israel. They were about Jews. And, as such, your criticism furthers the widespread and destructive conflation of Jews at large and Israelis and in particularly the Israeli government. This conflating is not good for anyone, least of all the Palestinians.

    Posted 19 May 2008 at 2:36 pm ¶

40. leah wrote:

    ephraim, you’re right, this post does not mention israel, and that’s part of the problem. it tackles issues of racism going on within the jewish community, totally leaving out what many jews (such as myself) consider to be by far the most tolerated form of racism within the AMERICAN jewish community: support for ethno-nationalism and apartheid. yes, it is dangerous to conflate israel and jews, but that is what the mainstream jewish organizations and large segments of the american jewish community have been doing for years. thus, i feel the criticism is both fair and neccesary.

    Posted 19 May 2008 at 3:43 pm ¶

41. mylie wrote:

    It’s one of the sad things about my life that I really know no Latino/Hispanic people. I’ve pretty much never met any. None went to or go to my schools, none live in my neighborhood (which is pretty racially mixed otherwise. Not all white or all black or anything. I’m black btw.). So I’m not really used to thinking that often about Hispanic people and what religions they might practice. Normally I think of Jewish people as either Arab, African, or White. My school did help us to learn about Jewish multiculturalism. Everyone in the 7th grade reads a book about Ethiopian Jews. I just had no idea that Judaism ever “got to” Latin America in any significant way until a few weeks ago when I was reading the Wall Street Journal about the President of Cuba, during WWII accepting a ton of Jewish refugees when no other country would.

    As for your issue of people wondering if you’re “really Hispanic,” I get that a lot, but in the black way. From other students, never from teachers though. A lot of people just assume I’m mixed or the French kind of black (whatever difference that makes). Teachers do sometimes ask me about my “background” or if I’m French (partially because of my name I’m sure). So I get what you mean. But the vast majority of the teachers I’ve had and the students I know couldn’t care less.

    Posted 19 May 2008 at 5:19 pm ¶

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