Jewish Ethnicity, Jewish Joy, Mizrahi Culture, and Decolonizing Jewishness, with Yasmine Esther
Clarissa talks to Yasmine Esther, a community educator, and a Bukharan, Ashkenazi, and Mizrahi Jew. Yasmine’s made it her mission to inform Jews and non-Jews alike about Jewish politics and culture. With over 16 thousand followers on Instagram, Yasmine combats misconceptions and erasure of Jewish customs and history. She often shares about overlooked parts of her multifaceted culture including food, clothing, music and jewelry from her Mizrahi and Bukharin background. Yasmine also has black family members, and her educational work incorporates confronting anti-blackness and racism.
Persian Jewish Culture, Stigmas, Taboos, and Mental Health, with Nicole Nowparvar
Forty years ago, thousands of Jews fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution, settling primarily in Los Angeles. Nicole Nowparvar is a member of that Persian Jewish community. She’s a psychotherapist, and the cofounder of Chaya, a community of intimate gatherings for Jewish Iranians. In this conversation, Clarissa talks with Nicole about how social, familial, and cultural expectations shape the community and the way that Chaya is helping individuals navigate what it means to be Jewish Iranian in the U.S.
Judaism without Patriarchy, #metoo, and Welcoming Jews of all Genders, with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg
Clarissa talks with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg about the influence of the patriarchy on Judaism and how it impacts gender roles in Jewish spaces today. In the early 2000s, Rabbi Kinberg had to act as a whistleblower in a sexual abuse case involving a clergy member. Clarissa asks Rabbi Kinberg about that experience, and her approach to leading tough conversations on gender equality and justice within the larger Jewish community.
The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: Black Jewish Life and Twitter, with Jesi Taylor Cruz
Clarissa talks to journalist and graduate student of philosophy Jesi Taylor Cruz about her paper “The Caged Bird Tweets of Freedom: On the Digital Hypervisibility of Black Jewish life.” They discuss race and racism in the Jewish community, and the ways in which digital spaces, and Black, Jewish Twitter (Jwitter), in particular, has offered Black Jews a way to build community on a global scale.