by Shekhiynah Larks | Sep 25, 2019 | Holidays, Identity, Recipes
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a passion for food and feeding people. This passion comes from my Ashkenazi Israeli mother and my Japanese Canadian father, both of whom are fabulous cooks. Mom always had a snack ready when I came home from school. As...
by Shekhiynah Larks | Aug 27, 2019 | Identity
The wedding hall is packed as Tali and her now-husband Natan, both Ethiopian Jews, celebrate their wedding with nearly 900 of their Ethiopian-Israeli family members and friends. The couple exude positivity and excitement and the guests are equally excited. We are...
by Shekhiynah Larks | Jul 11, 2019 | Identity
Last year was my first year on staff at Camp Be’chol Lashon. Ahead of camp, I was apprehensive as I’d never been to an overnight camp. Growing up, my mother never let me spend the night at anyone’s house. My Aunt tried to rectify this situation with what she called...
by Shekhiynah Larks | May 22, 2019 | Identity
Many American Jewish families treasure a pair of Shabbat candlesticks, a prayer shawl, or a dog-eared Hebrew prayer book from the old country. But when I was growing up, the most precious heirloom in my Russian-Jewish family was a fat, foot-high Laughing Buddha. The...
by Shekhiynah Larks | May 6, 2019 | Identity
Though my formal Jewish journey started only a decade ago, I feel that in many ways I was born Jewish. I say that not only because like many people in Central and South America, I have some historic Jewish heritage, but because mentally and in my heart, I have always...
