Discovering Your Roots!

One of my goals this year is to discover my roots. Perhaps by sharing my journey, it can help you (or inspire you!) to Discover Your Roots too. I am the descendant of so many fascinating people, a long line of DNA and story that I’m only beginning to uncover.

I grew up thousands of miles away from any sort of extended relatives for most of my life. Maybe that's one reason I crave more connection. Here’s the quick scoop:

My dad’s mom: Grandmama, and who I’m named after :) A Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe and the daughter of an Orthodox Rabbi. I saw her pretty infrequently — but she was my favorite e-mail (& ICQ Messenger) buddy in the 90s :D She passed away a few years ago ❤️😞

My dad’s dad: Grandpa Bob. Mostly a mystery that my dad didn’t grow up with. We all met him once when I was too young to properly remember. He's since passed away, before I ever reached out to him ❤️😞 I’ve started connecting with a first cousin, a third cousin, and uncle that I never realized I had!

My mom’s mom: Grandma Ruth, who I’m named after with my middle name :) Born in Puerto Rico, and the side of the family I grew up knowing the best! She lives in Florida right now, and I miss her BUNCHES. If you've ever met her, you know she's the most adorable human on the planet!💖

My mom’s dad: Grandpa Rueben. Mexican descent (via Arizona). He died when my mom was twelve ❤️😞 I’ve only begun connecting with that side of the family this year! I think that's absolutely, wildly exciting.

I’m half Latina*, and half miscellaneous European/Ashkenazi Jewish. While my sense of identity is rooted in much more than those two halves, they are important parts of myself that I want to connect with and understand more deeply. This blog post is the introduction to that discovery! 

Sometimes, I let the fact that my mother's not Jewish (the ever important question) and the fact that I wasn't raised within Judaism intimidated me. But not this year!

The second Sunday of every month, I’m going to blog about exploring my Jewish side. Judaism isn’t just a religion; it’s also DNA, ethnicity, culture, and shared history. I love how Reconstructing Judaism puts it: that Judaism is a “progressively evolving civilization.” 

While Judaism is best experienced in community, sharing a car with Janet right now makes that a bit trickier to attend events/synagogue/etc. I’m also an introvert, which means often I don’t have the people points left over to go attend big social things with other humans.

This year, I’m going to see what I can explore through books, the lovely internet, and incorporating little pieces into my ordinary life. What will resonate? What will I learn in terms of my own history, modern Jewish views, and my own evolving relationship to the passing of time?

I hope you join me! Whether you are interested in exploring Judaism yourself, have (OR crave!) a well-rooted sense of connection to your heritage, or just want to cheer me along in this journey --  I’m glad you’re here :)


*ps. check back  on YouTube the third Sunday of every month to LEARN SPANISH WITH ME!