Kehila Magazine
Kehila gives a voice to the Jew of Color community to educate and open the doors of knowledge and understanding between Jews of Color and white Jews, and between Jews and non-Jews.
“Kehila” in Hebrew means community, and this magazine is specifically for Jews of Color. We are a minority within a minority whose community is growing and requires more outlets in the Jewish and non-Jewish world to express, share, educate, discuss, debate, and voice the many opinions, topics, and issues that are important to us. I hope that this magazine will be such an outlet. While this magazine is geared toward a target audience-Jews of color-everyone is welcome to participate in the growth of this magazine! Kehila is in its infant stage and will continue to grow with the support of the JOC community and the Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
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taliadina Tali Adina
Why am I doing this?
To show that we do exist and we’re not going anywhere. That Jews come in all shapes, sizes, colors, that our people are diverse.
To show other J.O.C’s that they’re not alone.
Due to certain things that have occurred in the Jewish news these pass couple of weeks and they are but not limited to:
· UJA Community Study of New York 2011: http://www.ujafedny.org/get/189754/
· CUNY administrators have broken out Jews into a separate minority group: “White/Jewish.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/new_minority_label_at_cuny_jewish_orJZewejNjoC1c1cLA2d5J
I will also feature famous JOC’s as well in the book (whether I or someone else can interview them, we’ll have to try)
The format of the book will be the same format I use to create Kehila Magazine. It will be available on the internet for free for all to see.
If you would like to help me with putting the book together that would be great. This is a volunteer job, as I cannot pay.
Here’s what I need from you (and if anyone has anymore ideas about what else should be asked please let me know):
Name
Age (if you don’t mind)
Where you live (to show that we live all over the world)
Cultural background (to show that Jews do come in many colors)
Observance (are you Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc.)
What you do or would like to do in the Jewish community (are you a rabbi, cantor, layperson, teacher, etc.)
Favorite Jewish dish (to show that Jewish food is more than just gefilte fish, etc.)
Anything else you want to add.
I want you to write about these two things particularly:
· What being Jewish means to you
· Talk about your experiences: I want the full spectrum: the wonderful to the good, the bad, the ugly, and the horrible. I want to show that our experiences are real they did happen, that they are different and that the bad stuff does occur. Be honest and blunt about everything.
Please include a picture of you and your family
There is no page limit yet, make it as long as you think it needs to be. We’ll worry about length in the editing process.
Send these in asap since I would like to get this out as soon as possible.
Since it’s only me currently doing this by myself it will take some time to put this together.
Send your article to KehilaMagazine@gmail.com
You think I know stuff about Judaism… I know nothing compared to this girl. Like, nothing. Check it out if you’re serious about conversion. I’ve been printing out her Test Your Knowledge section and only getting about 90% of the questions! It’s inspiring!
(via chamiebear)
Glimpses of Jewish Cuba
by Nancy Rosenbaum, producer
Last week I visited one of Cuba’s few operating synagogues. It was founded in 1939 by Sephardic Turkish Jews who immigrated to the eastern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba in the first decades of the 20th century. Later, they were joined by Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe fleeing Nazi persecution.
The synagogue’s doors were shuttered from 1980-1995. I was told that an Argentine rabbi came in the 1990s and helped to revive Jewish life here. Today, roughly two dozen members attend services. Over the years, the Jewish community in Santiago de Cuba has dwindled. People have opted to leave Cuba to make a new life in Israel. Still, according to congregant Emma Levy (pictured below in the flowered dress), as long as there’s one member, the doors of the Santiago de Cuba’s historic synagogue will remain open and Shabbat candles will illuminate the temple’s sanctuary each Friday.
(All photos by Nancy Rosenbaum)
So, lately, I’ve been more and more interested in Orthodoxy, and, because of all the riots up and down England, my mum wouldn’t let me to into the city where the Reform shul is, so, I asked a rabbi at the Orthodox shul just out of the city to see if I could go, and, thankfully, he allowed me.
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Awesome post!! I wish I could convert while I’m in college to..
(via chamiebear)
“Reimagining the Very Good Book” is the tag-line for authors Aaron Freeman and his wife Sharon Rosenzweig’s new book entitled The Comic Torah which re-imagines the Torah in a creative, unique, and funny way.
Published in 2010 by Ben Yehuda Press (BenYehudaPress.com), The Comic Torah is a comic book of all fifty-four Torah portions. It presents “a snapshot of the arguments we had this year”. Each comic explains a weekly portion with a comedic wit while simultaneously getting the point of the story across in a clear and concise manner. In addition, the reader can see the author’s beautiful creative artistry on display in each panel.
In the comic, God is portrayed as a green skinned woman while Moses and Aaron are black with Aaron sporting dreads. While these may be controversial to some, they are also what makes the book stand apart from other books about the Torah.
The Comic Torah is an excellent book that not only teaches all fifty-four weekly portions of the Torah but also keeps the reader entertained and involved in the story.
For more information about The Comic Torah and its authors, visit www.TheComicTorah.com
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maztothemax/2011/04/17/kush-miri-seasons-in-sheol-book
Kush Miri Seasons in Sheol book
by Maz to the Max
On our programme today we will be talking with Kush Miri and about her book seasons in she will be talking about her life experiences and experiences of being a Black Women who converted to Judiasm Please tune in
“The Hebrew Mamita” by The Hebrew Mamita (Vanessa Hidary)
