On Jewish identity: Jews of Color and Feminists Seeking a Home

For MLK Shabbat, I invited Miriam Messinger to speak to us about race. See her words and her daughter Amani's moving spoken word about being Jewish and black.

Amani: For me, the most daunting part of being Jewish is the beginning. The introduction. The double take. I will always have to repeat my religion twice. I have gotten used to this. Typically, after the initial shock, the questioner will accept my Judaism or admit defeat and give up on their interrogation. Sometimes I am not so lucky. Sometimes--even though I wear my Jewishness around my neck, literally, in the form of the Star of David or a hamsa, depending on the day--I am still required to defend my identity.

On a totally different topic, here's my take on how a Jewish feminist can read ancient Jewish (read: patriarchal) texts:

More to come! Check out this week's dvar Torah in The Jewish Advocate.