Tamar
Favorite Jewish food: I don’t know, that’s hard. I mean I have to say babka.
Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover How would you describe your identity? Jewish, Mexican, woman Do you feel like your looks and experiences are included in the general picture of what a Jewish person/woman is? Why or why not? No. I guess if you are talking about a representation in general, the general view of a Jewish woman, I think that Mexican Jewish women are not very well-known or represented. |
How, if at all, does this affect your feelings about Judaism?
I don’t think so. Maybe it affects the feelings of those people who don’t understand my identity. Do you feel like you have been generally welcomed in Jewish spaces? Why or why not? Yes, I think so. Whenever I’ve looked for a Jewish environment, I feel like I’ve been welcomed. Have you felt excluded from other spaces because of your Jewish identity? No. Do you feel like you have been able to find communities where you feel like your whole identity is accepted? I mean I guess in Mexico, I felt welcomed as a Jewish Mexican woman. I wouldn’t say that my whole identity was. Maybe some of my choices haven’t been well received. So part of my identity was well received, but really not all of it. Can you describe what Masa Madre is and why you decided to start it? Masa Madre is a Mexican Jewish bakery, online-based. We specialize in babkas and challahs in Jewish and Mexican flavors. We decided to start it to share some of our heritage and influences from home in Chicago. |
"We decided to start [Masa Madre] to share some of our heritage and influences from home in Chicago. |
What has been the most impactful part of starting and working with Masa Madre?
Sharing with the world, in the U.S., about Mexican Jewish identity. And also getting to know a lot of people, we are represented within our friends. What do you think we could do as a larger Jewish community to make our spaces more welcoming for people who identify differently from the norm? I don’t know. I think there are now a lot of different types of communities and Jewish places where people can feel welcome. I don’t think I’ve been particularly looking for my place in it, so maybe that’s why I haven’t found mine. I think in the U.S. they’ve been able to do a lot of types of communities where different people are welcome; I don’t feel the same way about Mexico. Does Judaism/identifying as Jewish play an important role in your life? Why or why not? Yes, I think being Jewish changes how I go through the week, and celebrate my different holidays, and also how I relate to people and experience the world through the education that I’ve received What is your favorite part about being Jewish? Aside from the food, the values that it taught me. |