I was standing in a school cafeteria in Middlebury, Vermont, surrounded by Jews of every flavor, as well as many Israelis with a very "Sephardic" look. And then, someone said something to one of the teachers, a 50-or-60-something-year-old woman who has spent most of her life in Israel.
Repeatedly, I heard her say,"You? A convert? No!"
The teacher then proceeded to pull someone else over and ask, "Who looks more Jewish? Me or her?" All the while, she was pointing at me.
She repeated the words "She looks so much more Jewish than me" about thirty times in Hebrew.
I was mortified. (Yeah, no kidding.)
There is no one Jewish look. There isn't one way to "look" Jewish. The beauty of Judaism is the patchwork fabric of its people.
For more words of wisdom, check out Chaviva's blog or follow her on Twitter.
Repeatedly, I heard her say,"You? A convert? No!"
The teacher then proceeded to pull someone else over and ask, "Who looks more Jewish? Me or her?" All the while, she was pointing at me.
She repeated the words "She looks so much more Jewish than me" about thirty times in Hebrew.
I was mortified. (Yeah, no kidding.)
There is no one Jewish look. There isn't one way to "look" Jewish. The beauty of Judaism is the patchwork fabric of its people.
For more words of wisdom, check out Chaviva's blog or follow her on Twitter.
