Blogroll | Congregation Darchei Noam

A few weeks ago, I was browsing through my Facebook newsfeed when I stumbled upon a trailer for a new TV show, Kosher Soul, from the Lifetime Network. The preview for this “docu-sitcom” begins with the two stars of the show sitting on the couch, talking to the camera. “You can’t help who you fall in love with,” the man says. There’s a fast cut to a foot breaking a glass under the wedding chuppah, to the sound of a crowd cheering “Mazal tov”. The stars, Miriam Sternoff and O’Neal McKnight, met working as stylists for Sean “Puffy” Combs, (aka Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy, etc.). Sternoff is described as “the epitome of the nice Jewish girl” and McKnight as African-American from the South.

The trailer is full of comedy, mostly poking at McKnight taking on various Jewish rituals, including footage of his hatafat dam – the letting of a drop of blood that stands in for a circumcision where a man who converts is already circumcised – a Shabbat dinner, and a shot of a kippah on McKnight’s shaved head.

This new reality show adds to growing pop culture awareness of racially diverse Jews. Beginning in earnest with the Funny or Die parody of Whiz Khalifa’s charttopping “Black and Yellow”, called “Black and Jewish” (Its chorus? “Reppin’ for my parents when you see me you know everything/Black and Jewish Black and Jewish Black and Jewish Black and Jewish”), interracial (and sometimes interfaith) Jews have lately begun to appear in the spotlight – with their mixed identities on full display – in North American culture.

While these two examples can be – and have been – rightly criticized for portraying black and Jewish cultures in stereotyped ways (see for example, fantastic Black-and-Jewish writers like Michael Twitty and Robin Washington tackling this problem head on), I think that there is still some value to having these portraits, however flawed, in the public realm.

One can think of a slew of interracial “Black and Jewish” stars. Drake… need I say more? Rashida Jones, daughter of music mogul Quincy Jones and the Mod Squad’s Peggy Lipton, who has starred in Parks and Recreation, I Love You, Man, and The Muppets, recently corrected an interviewer on the red carpet at the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, who commented on her “tan”, rebuking her with a smile – “I mean, you know, I’m ethnic.” Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of singer Diana Ross and music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein who plays the bi-racial (“pigmentally challenged”, according to her husband
Andre) mom on this year’s new “hot” sitcom Black-ish. Lenny Kravitz, son of The Jeffersons’ actress Roxie Roker and NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz. The list is, as we know, is much longer. . .

We at Darchei Noam know that Jews are a multicultural people. From Jewish communities around the world and their descendants, to individuals of colour who were born or were adopted into Jewish families, to individuals from racially diverse backgrounds who have converted or who have married people of Jewish backgrounds, the Jewish community is far from homogenous. It’s encouraging to see popular culture giving a bit of a spotlight to one aspect of our diverse community.

Want more about the black/Jewish interracial experience? Check out these great sources a little more on the “serious”
side:

• Be'chol Lashon's "Jewish & ..." blog on My Jewish Learning
• Aaron Samuels' poetry – check out his video for Covered in Grass
• Lacey Schwartz's biographical film "Little White Lie"

Looking for more? Be in touch – I have loads more to share!

Tema Smith
Manager of Community Outreach and Engagement
Congregation Darchei Noam