tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20977313682903102822024-03-13T19:55:38.012-04:00Chording To MegJazz composer and violinist Meg Okura her thoughts on religion, culture, race, motherhood and all that jazz from her immigrant, Jewish, woman, Japanese, ex-Evangelical, and black family perspectives.Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-19443125621196819732020-06-03T09:19:00.027-04:002020-06-03T18:40:30.267-04:00Defending Rioters and Looters Don't Help UsI never liked being called a person of color, though people calling us black didn't bother me as much. It's just semantics, right? But I nearly gagged this morning when I heard an innocent nine-year-old white girl saying, "we should call them (the looters) people of color because 'black' sounds bad." <br /><br />I looked at my daughter- her shoulders were down with blank stares at her computer screen. The homeroom teacher encouraged the little girls to "take action" and added that "these people are looting because they are angry. And they are angry because of racism." My heart started to race as the last thing I wanted the teacher to teach is to (1) identify people by race, (2) justify looting and rioting, (3) ask the girls to "do something." <br /><br />So my daughter and I had a talk after her zoom homeroom. Here are some of the things my nine-year-old said. <br /><br />(1) It sounds like only white people are "normal" people, and other people aren't.<br />(2) Is "colored people" wrong, but not "people of color"? <br />I asked:<br />(3) "Does it make you feel good when people call you a person of color?"<br />"No. I'm just me. I want people to call me ____ (her name)."<br />"I feel labeling everyone else 'people of color' makes white people special, because they are the only people who are not called that. But I know they aren't special."<br /><div>(4) "What system is put in place that prevents us from becoming successful? Do you think you will never be successful because of racism, or will you become successful because you are hardworking and you are also getting great education?"</div>"Do you think we have terrible lives, or are we living good and successful lives?"<br />Her answer:<br />"I have a good life. But sometimes I get upset. But that has nothing to do with that racism stuff."<br />(5) "Does it make you feel good when white people are sorry for us?"<br />"I don't know. I just feel uncomfortable."<br /><br />And I could only wonder,<br />(6) Is the class preventing racism or promoting it inadvertently by encouraging the identification of all non-whites as "them, people of color" vs. "us, whites"?<br /><br />And while my daughter's school teacher defend the looters because of racism, the school has almost doubled our tuition burden in mere four years. This teacher is absolutely wonderful and I truly admire her. The school is truly amazing. What better way to support us people of color by giving more scholarship? But the school instead justify criminal behaviors committed by people who they say "look like" my daughter. (We have requested more aid three times this year with no success.) <br /><br />Besides, I find defending looters to be incredibly condescending. What is the underlining lesson that these girls are learning? "People of color are so angry about racism that we good white people must do everything to defend their behaviors." To me, that is racist, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">I feel</span> insulted, embarrassed, ashamed, uncomfortable, sad, and angry. <br /><br />But the question is, DO YOU CARE about my feelings, or do you only care about gaining approval from us, the people of color? <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-3797885427267605752018-04-21T04:08:00.000-04:002018-04-27T02:22:30.185-04:00Is There a Harvey Weinstein of Jazz? #MeToo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Trigger warning! rape, child abuse)<br />
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The #MeToo movement has been bringing about changes in the entertainment industry, especially film. Many of us wonder "Is there is a Harvey Weinstein of jazz?"<br />
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The most significant difference between the film and jazz industries is that we no longer have influential gate-keepers in jazz. Record company executives, managers, booking agents, producers used to be extremely powerful. But today, they no longer make or break one's career in jazz. We have to "make it" on our own. Except for faculty members at educational institutions, nobody could take advantage of young female jazz musicians today.<br />
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But it doesn't mean that I have never been sexually harassed or made to feel uncomfortable on the bandstand or off. Until recently, many jazz musicians used to make inappropriate jokes and offhanded comments. But I always told myself to have a thick skin, and ignore the comments. I also used to receive unwanted sexual advances back in the days, and some musicians have tried to force themselves on me as well. But because I was able to successfully fight them off, these experiences didn't leave any psychological scars.<br />
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Today, no colleague of mine even compliments my looks no matter how much I try to look attractive. The Me Too movement has put a complete stop to compliments on my new dresses. And the best part of this movement is that very few men say "ko-ni-chi-wa" or "ni-hao" to me. (At least none in the areas below 125th Street of Manhattan.) Even when that happens, I can now speak back and tell them it is offensive without being lectured back with the usual "you should be proud of your culture" attack.<br />
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So overall, things have gotten better for me, and I am pleased about the crackdown on sexual assaults, unwanted advances, and exploitation, especially at educational institutions. However, the #MeToo movement is not without a downside.<br />
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When #MeToo movement had first emerged, I thought it was finally time for me to tell my story after waiting for over three decades. I decided to attend a meeting to discuss this topic, hoping I could unload my burden. But the meeting soon became about competing who gets the most catcalls. I was no longer able to share my story of being gang-raped at age eight and subsequent suicide attempts. Yes, I have experienced unwanted catcalls and sexual advances too, but these things don't compare to the trauma, pain, and suffering I have endured as a child. After that meeting, I could no longer genuinely relate to the movement, though I still support the cause. As a child, I always thought I'd write a book exposing the rapists and the teacher who enabled this horrible act. In fact, that used to be my purpose of living, keeping me from committing suicide. But in 2018, I no longer have that need because I have other responsibilities and goals in life.<br />
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This movement also reminded me of a few women falsely accusing men of rape. I also know people who were at the receiving end of a false accusation. Both accusers and accused are people just like us (university professors, violinists, music student, etc.) The thought of this happening to my family is beyond frightening. When this happens to someone, the whole family suffers including his wife, his mother, and his daughters. And we must always strive to reduce the suffering of all people, women, AND men regardless of what is considered a favorite position to take today.<br />
<br />
I believe we need to use #MeToo with caution and thoughtfulness so we will not ruin otherwise a terrific cause.</div>
Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-36473882321343523782018-03-21T10:17:00.000-04:002018-03-21T11:30:31.757-04:00Not Feeling Jewish Enough? Here's a 15-min. Cure!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Being the second day of spring, the Passover just around the corner, all I see is white in my window. Mind you; I live in Harlem. Whether you are Jewish but not feeling it, or you aren't Jewish at all but want to feel Jew-ish, there are ways you can feel more Jewish without guilt or doing anything involving clearing out bread from your kitchen cabinets.<br />
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Here is my personal "FOUR ANSWERS" (playlist) for the week anticipating Passover!<br />
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<span id="goog_1690936513"></span><span id="goog_1690936514"></span>No. 1<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/-upZdGZdPuE" target="_blank">Alberto Mizrahi Trio Globo "Dayenu"</a><br />
featuring Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, and Glen Velez (YouTube)<br />
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No. 2<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/lLC83pBKEtA" target="_blank">Pharaoh's Daughter "Taitsch" (Exodus) </a><br />
(YouTube)<br />
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No. 3<br />
<a href="http://megokura.bandcamp.com/track/exodus-and-emancipation" target="_blank">NPO Trio "Exodus and Emancipation" from <i>NPO Trio Live at The Stone </i></a><br />
(Bandcamp) <br />
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No. 4<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/8JNCS27rtQ8" target="_blank">Louis Armstrong "Go Down Moses" </a><br />
(YouTube) </div>
Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-55908668085125239772018-03-15T15:59:00.000-04:002018-03-15T15:59:17.286-04:00Admit it! You hate Jazz.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay. You say you like jazz. But not avant-garde jazz. What the heck is "chamber jazz" anyway? Here are three reasons why you should check out NPO TRIO LIVE AT THE STONE today!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Reason #1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Because you HATE avant-garde jazz.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You will like this album.- New music that sounds familiar and foreign, improvised but sounds composed, and Yiddish melodies made fresh! You will feel invigorated.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Reason #2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So you have a go-to "small talk" at your next function and be the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated person in the room. "Have you heard the new 'NPO Trio Live At The Stone' album yet?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHNiG4-0lxXotg88ANqV_WQTzQihXoPCN6As830V87IOG6ZbOPVoEdYGJictPMSxjkkAkqEUSwknh-VSBtlY0v-FFhpT7dH60aYj3P71hcrHCCB5xuQw9wwQQgl2sdll5r_X5969OZaWa/s1600/NPO.Emil.Pic.%25232.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="672" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHNiG4-0lxXotg88ANqV_WQTzQihXoPCN6As830V87IOG6ZbOPVoEdYGJictPMSxjkkAkqEUSwknh-VSBtlY0v-FFhpT7dH60aYj3P71hcrHCCB5xuQw9wwQQgl2sdll5r_X5969OZaWa/s400/NPO.Emil.Pic.%25232.png" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reason #3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Because you are our friend after all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Check it out today!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">iTune, Apple Music, Bandcamp, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1727024361/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" style="border: 0px none; height: 42px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://megokura.bandcamp.com/album/npo-trio-live-at-the-stone">NPO Trio Live At The Stone by Meg Okura, Sam Newsome, Jean-Michel Pilc</a></iframe></span>
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-6261114451145426152018-03-02T13:59:00.000-05:002018-03-16T06:51:13.339-04:00Why Was a Harlem 4-Year-Old Screaming “Let My People Go!?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5snarcH8JcFSTE6HGT0o5gjBg4YK2MWPRE5Dwmn3zqQk1u_AEjBhn7yOCXuvsdGDGge7baFI4OWMnMHGs7HTqeLaf9MD0ZDNAnOAs_jd1i1-ZJFKKvCpnH2Ak57Ktp9YtaWsVpVtmIpyl/s1600/File+Mar+02%252C+2+13+12+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5snarcH8JcFSTE6HGT0o5gjBg4YK2MWPRE5Dwmn3zqQk1u_AEjBhn7yOCXuvsdGDGge7baFI4OWMnMHGs7HTqeLaf9MD0ZDNAnOAs_jd1i1-ZJFKKvCpnH2Ak57Ktp9YtaWsVpVtmIpyl/s320/File+Mar+02%252C+2+13+12+PM.jpeg" width="240" /></a>Our guests don’t ask four questions, but one. "When do we get to eat?” We tell them to eat something before if they don't want to be hungry staring at a shank bone and parsley while we read for two hours. To make the matters worse, every year at our Passover seder, our Afro-Asian Jewish American daughter passionately sings “Go Down Moses” crescendoing into the part “Let my people go!”</div>
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The song exemplifies the parallel between the Jewish people's enslavement and departure from Egypt and the African-American slave experience in the United States. The parallel that I only draw once a year on Passover. “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/megokura/improv-5-exodus-and-emancipation" target="_blank">Exodus and Emancipation</a>” is one of the tracks from one of my new albums, a debut album by the <a href="http://www.megokura.com/npo-trio" target="_blank">NPO Trio</a> (<b>Sam Newsome</b> on sopranos saxophone, <b>Jean-Michel Pilc</b> on piano, and Meg Okura on the violin) to be released on March 15 from Chant Records, a newly established avant-garde, and world music label.<br />
<br />
I first met Jean-Michel Pilc almost 18 years ago when I used to play with a group called Global Unity, led by none other than the soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, who was on a major label COLUMBIA/SONY and this is why I married him. Since then, we have all become good friends. Several years ago at one of our daughter's birthday parties, Jean-Michel started to play Israeli and Yiddish songs, honoring (or making fun of) my new identity, revealing for the first time that he too was Jewish. But not without a caveat: a proudly non-practicing one. He shared his memories of his family as he played. Sam and I joined in with our instruments. NPO Trio was born.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfMYqXm9qPKNYKQjGzZD2hIkKoAcTMN29VaMZ6tTj2nrR5VQHg69ie4cZPOImVgtVmg0yi1yh0vfEeyK77gMNVtVCnWFtSpT-jxisszhcXwgsPtBlU6xSrjajKLJcsyJTKfihlpWblIzz/s1600/NPOrennder3b%2526w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfMYqXm9qPKNYKQjGzZD2hIkKoAcTMN29VaMZ6tTj2nrR5VQHg69ie4cZPOImVgtVmg0yi1yh0vfEeyK77gMNVtVCnWFtSpT-jxisszhcXwgsPtBlU6xSrjajKLJcsyJTKfihlpWblIzz/s200/NPOrennder3b%2526w.jpg" width="200" /></a>When others see us, Sam Newsome and I, or the NPO Trio for that matter, many assume things that are not necessarily true about us- us as individuals. I am the first one to admit that I do this too. I make quick judgement of others because I just cannot control my thoughts, no matter how hard I try. These are logical and statistically sound assumptions based on our own experiences and our limited knowledge. We constantly make assumptions about individual's values, political views, athletic abilities or even the food we think certain groups enjoy solely based on one's race.<br />
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So here is a challenge for you, my friend. I want you to see beyond our skin colors and just listen. Yes, listen to this new avant-garde jazz album!! I know what you are thinking. That is WAY TOO MUCH to ask even as good friends! But it's not as challenging as one might imagine. As critic Leonid Auskern of the JAZZ QUAD puts it:<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
"the NPO Trio offers truly original and creative solutions of the Klezmer melodies to the listeners. ...Live at The Stone will captivate people with many different tastes."</h2>
We occasionally reference familiar Yiddish melodies such as “Oyfn Pripetchik” or “Mine Yiddishe Mama” to even John Coltrane. NPO Trio expresses many emotions through music and sounds in a surprisingly cohesive manner using musical idioms from jazz and classical, Romantic to Atonal, blues to free jazz.<br />
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The real challenge is the cover art. I made the album cover with an optical illusion. You are obliged to change your perspectives in order to see the hidden title. My Torah portion “Re’eh” (from my Bat Mitzvah last summer) means “see” in the imperative form. And according to the Bible commentator Rashi, we must “see” in the condition that we "listen". And we all know that jazz is all about listening to each other. And I believe in jazz.<br />
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So first, close your eyes. Then sit back and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/megokura/sets/npo-trio-live-at-the-stone-meg" target="_blank">listen </a>while the NPO Trio takes you to the world both familiar and foreign, to see many colors, to experience melancholy and bliss at the same time. And after that, you too may believe in jazz. Amen.<br />
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Shabbat Shalom!<br />
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127753 -74.005972839.9423093 -75.296866299999991 41.483241299999996 -72.7150793tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-51260595833855884092018-01-15T10:44:00.000-05:002018-03-09T23:03:34.074-05:00What Would MLK Say in 2018? Nine Questions You Must Ask Youself!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</style><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">by <a href="http://www.megokura.com/" target="_blank">Meg Okura</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whenever I see a four-foot-eleven black elderly woman in a perfectly pressed dress suit with ever so fashionable glasses that scream intellect, I get scared. You know she is judging me. In fact, she is, but most lovingly - she is my mother in law. A granddaughter of a former slave who was born in Salisbury, Maryland in 1934. According to her account, she was always at the top of her class. In her 30’s, thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, she was even able to pursue a doctoral degree and became a professional. She was able to support her family, was a multiple-time homeowner, married not just once but twice, and helped everyone around her with her time and money. My mother in law is one of many thousands of examples of successes in America.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Exactly four years ago, on the day of MLK celebration, my daughter who had just turned three at the time and I became Jews by choice. We chose Judaism so our daughter will be raised with progressive Jewish values, and so she will not be judged by her skin color but by her character and values.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCOPm3OHJ-MNQQr63xsctcMPyRlnaWaF9wi4tukRXNDRzyvuFQq5EglgrE3Wm_18WRSHkoywEH9nhX42YdO6YEcAbJHJFOL_0gdOO-Irk4Z7zd_gOeZjwcu13lpcqujOj5Qtnsy0VV-Rl/s1600/2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCOPm3OHJ-MNQQr63xsctcMPyRlnaWaF9wi4tukRXNDRzyvuFQq5EglgrE3Wm_18WRSHkoywEH9nhX42YdO6YEcAbJHJFOL_0gdOO-Irk4Z7zd_gOeZjwcu13lpcqujOj5Qtnsy0VV-Rl/s400/2000.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I think about this part of MLK's speech everyday since the pregnancy and wonder what happened. 55 years later, today, we live in a nation where we are constantly divided into groups based on our skin color. Every time I am asked to check one of these boxes, my heart races. I just want us to belong to the human race. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Often, it’s those well-meaning nice people, like you and me, who say things that are most offensive, yet have no idea about it. For example, two years ago, a colleague of mine (a Jewish male) predicted that if Donald Trump wins the election, “you will be deported and your husband will be working in the kitchen”. He even claimed, “your daughter only got into _______ (an elite private school) because she is black.” (FYI, I have never been an illegal here, not even for one second. My husband is a professional, and a successful soprano saxophonist. As for my daughter, she scored 99 percentile on her G & T exams)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The problem with these friends is that they are so clueless, yet they scream the loudest with such confidence that they completely dismiss my opinions, which are based on facts and my personal experiences. They advertise how much they care about women, minorities and immigrants just as they dismiss exactly that person.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But I am not going to cry about being a victim of so-called micro-aggressions like this because this is nothing compared to the real hardships that I have been through in my life. Instead, I ask myself difficult questions about my own unconcsious bigotry and biases. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(1) Do I group people of color together and fail to recognize them as individuals </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">with his or her own original thoughts and opinions?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(2) Do I expect less of people of color </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">while I teach my children to be the best of the bests? Do I expect less diligence and less moral character from people of color than I would from my own child? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(3) Am I automatically exonerating myself of my own prejudices by accusing someone else of being a racist?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(4) </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When I accuse someone else of being a racist, <b>do I really know that person’s personal views or history of what she or he might have done to actually help people of color?</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(5) Do I truly care about the actual welfare of people I claim to care about</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">, or am I using them for virtue signaling?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(6) Was my marriage to my husband an ultimate virtue-signaling?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(7) Did I become a Jew so I can rub elbos with so-called the "successful" tribe?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<b>(8) Am I guilty or responsible for my unconcious biases and bigotry? </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />(9) What would MLK say about me?</span></b></span></div>
Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-53602330158488730102017-08-18T23:27:00.005-04:002017-10-05T05:45:56.069-04:00Here is Why Seeing Is Not Believing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Palatino; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Lantinghei TC Heavy"; panose-1:3 0 5 9 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 0 0 1048577 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p {mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style><span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I recently had my adult Bat Mitzvah, and chanted from my Torah portion called “Re’eh” which means “see” in the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">imperative</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>form. It </span><span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">is basically telling the Israelites how to go about destroying the holy sites and idols of the Canaanites- </span><span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“...and you shall tear down their altars, smash their <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">monuments</span>, burn their asherim, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place.”</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Pretty awful stuff. We know G-d of the Bible to be harsh at times, but here, he is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">advocating</span> violence. I am vehemently against all violence, regardless of who commits these violent acts. Left or Right. Christians or Jews. Black or Japanese. The ordering of destruction of other people’s idols makes God look really petty and immature. But I have an idea as to why Moses of all people found the idols of the Canaanites to be such a threat. Remember the Golden Calf after his recent stint on Mount <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sinai</span>? He must have been really disappointed by the Israelites who were <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">allured</span> to the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">hedonistic</span> majority culture and built an idol for themselves. I think these harsh commands were his overreaction to the Golden Calf, a god Israelites could see and touch.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">However, it is one thing to prohibit graven images of other gods, but to ban <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">all</span> graven images of living things is quite another. Even at Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in New York City, none of the stained glasses contains any images of people or animals, not even a fish. Why can’t we just have some representation of OUR G-d? Doesn’t G-d<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">realize</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>that it is hard enough to sell a currently <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">non-</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">intervening</span> God, like ours? They say “seeing believing”. What could be a harm to have a nice little painting of OUR G-d?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">In <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">fact</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">,</b> seeing is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">very</span> powerful. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Some</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>people fall in love at first <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sigh</span>t. When someone says “she is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">beautiful</span>”, he is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</span> talking about her personality. We <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">are</span> heavily <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">influenced</span> by our <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sight</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>and rely on it to make many important decisions.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">By the same token, many people “see” my daughter and I together, and often assume that I am her nanny. And every time I see an Asian person here at Temple Israel, my first instinct is to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">assume</span> that she is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Jewish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">let</span> me ask you. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When</span> you hear the word, “mentsch”, who comes to your mind? <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I</span>, immediately think about my husband, Sam. He is truly a man of integrity and virtue. I <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">chose</span> to marry him based on our shared <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">values</span>. Yet, people cannot get over the fact that he is a black man and they have expressed that I was “brave” because I married him “despite” his race. And <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">some</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>thought I married him BECAUSE of his race, referring to a “fever”. And those who did not make either of these comments still made assumptions <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">about</span> him: his upbringing, political views, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">athletic</span> abilities, and even his choice of entertainment or preference of food that are stereo typical to his race. And these assumptions about him were outright <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">false</span>, or <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">grievously</span></span><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span lang="JA"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">incomplete to say the least.</span><br>
<img src="https://i.imgflip.com/1ugdr8.jpg" style="height: 499px; vertical-align: top; width: 558px;"><br>
<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Growing up in Japan,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">never</span> even had to think about race. I was always a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Christian</span> first and a violinist second. I was raised with <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Protestant</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>values alone, and <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">never</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>participated in <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">any</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>traditional <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Japanese</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>holiday celebrations or rituals. My musical <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">aesthetic</span> was 19th Century European. As a child, I grew up listening to Heifetz, Auer, Gingold, Goldberg, Joachim, Kogan,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Menuhin, Milstein, Mintz, Oistrakh, Perlman, Stern, Szigeti, and Szerying. Nobody in Japan has ever questioned my identity as a Christian and a classical violinist, and they respected me. In fact, I used to be celebrated as a Christian violinist. However, when I came to the US, all of the sudden, I became an “Asian” violinist as if Mendelssohn violin concerto would suddenly sound Asian when I played it. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So is it safe to say “seeing is misleading”, or at least it can be in some cases? Would it be possible that G-d would want us to use senses other than sight? What about listening, “sh’ma” instead of “re’eh”?<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> I</b> personally feel that listening is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">superior</span></span><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span lang="JA"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">to seeing as it takes more work of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">contemplation.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It turns out that the famous Bible commentator Rashi also had a similar thought. He interpreted “see (re’eh) on the condition that you listen (and obey)”. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And in my Haftarah portion (Isaiah chapter 55, verses 2 and 3), the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">root </span>of the word sh’ma, (shin, mem, and eyen) appears <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">three times</span>!! </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Listen well to Me, and you shall eat what is good, and your souls shall delight in abundance. Open your ears and come to me; hearken and you shall live.”)</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">We say “a picture is worth a thousand words”. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As</span> Jewish people, we get <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">no</span> pictures but we have certainly <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">compensated</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>our lack of imageries with not a thousand, but <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">millions</span> of words. We <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">love</span> our texts <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">despite</span> what’s in them. We listen to the written texts so we may wrestle with, question, deny, interpret, and teach them to our <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">children</span>. And we certainly don’t teach our children to destroy anyone else’s properties, but we encourage them to question anything in the Bible. Nothing is off limit. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">In fact, I was delighted when our daughter questioned the origin story while attending JCC Nursery School. Yes, she maybe agnostic at best, but she is a proud Jew who loves to share her Jewish knowledge and ethics with her friends at Spence. She cares about the poor and the sick, and constantly reminds me of being kind “chesed” to everyone. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">She <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">loves </span>her family, her extended families, family friends and our families by choice who are all represented here this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I teach her to respect her <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Protestant</span> roots and get along with people of all ethnic backgrounds. We expose her to all cultures and encourage her to think critically and independently, and not be afraid of discussing biological and cultural differences among <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">us</span> humans. I remember when she was three years old, she came home and told me that one of her classmates had told her she was “<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">very tanned</span>”. “What did you say to him?” I asked. “I said ‘thank you’” she said.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">When Naomi was first conceived, we realized that our lofty ideal of multiculturalism was not going to work as a family unit. We <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">foresaw</span> obstacles in our daughter’s future, being raised in a society filled with identity politics, which uses our skin colors to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">determine, categorize and judge</span> people as groups. We wanted our child to be an individual, free from groupthink, and <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">societal</span> pressure of camaraderie only with one side of her racial makeup while vilifying the rest. Both my husband and I grew up with cultural pressures and religious beliefs that were harmful to us. For many decades, my husband has been <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">very</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>different from his family, and I, too, have had very little in common with my family, even though we love our family very deeply. Therefore, we as a nuclear family, needed to find a new identifiable community that held OUR values in order to help our child succeed in life, instead of viewing herself as a victim. And more importantly, we wanted a community with a strong <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">infrastructure</span> to support our values. We had considered many things. I looked for a church for atheists, or some call it, Unitarian while Sam suggested that we raise our daughter “jazz” to which I said, “definitely NOT”. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So we chose Reform Judaism as it fit the bill at the time. I <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sub</span>sequently went through the whole process of becoming Jewish, which many of you know it to be <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">an</span> extremely arduous process, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">just so it would be good for our daughter.</span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And it has been incrediblly good for her. At her religious school here at Temple Israel, not only is she learning holiday rituals, Bible stories and Hebrew prayers, but she is also learning <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">human values</span> that will guide her for the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">rest</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>of her life. I often attend the religious service for the kindergarteners, and I am constantly blown away even as an adult. Our new knowledge of the Jewish values, customs, culture, humor, recipes, songs, Yiddish words and Hebrew prayers allow <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">us</span> to connect with <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">other</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Jewish people in all walks of life. You have no idea how many people have come up to me and asked me questions about my Jewish identity: on the train, at parties, or at our daughter’s school. From an Orthodox mother of six to, a young Israeli girl backpacking, to even Jared Kushner who wanted to know my life story, saying “my wife is also a Jew by choice”. Yeah, me and Ivanka. Becoming Jewish turned out to be so much more than just “good for our daughter”. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But you know what else I was wrong about? I was wrong about not raising our daughter “jazz”. After all, jazz is all about “sh’ma”, listening to the other players, respecting and supporting one another. We communicate using the principles of harmony and traditions. In jazz, excellence trumps legacy. Traditions are respected and studied rigorously. There is no limitation for creativities and innovations. On the bandstand, there is no identity politics. Nobody cares what we look like or what religion or culture one adheres to. We support each other on the bandstand no matter what. I call<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">jazz</span> “meritocracy with compassion”. I think this is the only way people of all cultures and backgrounds can achieve great success and not get their credentials and achievements questioned everyday. So today, I believe we must all raise our children “jazz”. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Unfortunately, it is exactly the opposite in our society. The society lowers standards for people of a certain race while brazenly punishing extremely hard-working high achieving children of other minority groups. My daughter’s achievements are constantly questioned by people outside of Spence School, only because of her skin tone, or 40% of her race to be exact. And I only wish someday in her lifetime, people will stop categorizing her into a group based on her skin tone alone, and rather start accepting her as a fully able individual, judging her only by the contents of her character as Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed for his four little children 54 years ago. Shabbat Shalom. </span><br>
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-26156537881522707832016-11-15T12:34:00.003-05:002017-10-04T08:02:36.193-04:00Am I A Plain Old Person?!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My 5-year old said, "Did you know that Beth and Laura in my class speak Chinese?" "That's impressive!!" I said excitedly. "Not really. Their moms must speak Chinese." "Oh. Have you heard them speak Chinese?" I asked. "No. but their moms totally look Chinese." Okay. "They do, huh?" "Yes, totally!!" So I ask "Do I look Chinese?" "No" "So what do I do look like?" She looks at me and says "You just look like a plain old person."<br />
<br />
"Plain old person?" I said and gave her the tightest hug I could ever give. This was a very special moment for us as a mother and daughter. Until this moment, she had always looked at me as "the other"- the opposite of the "plain old person". Even before she could speak, she often compared my pale skin with her beautiful mocha complexion. And as soon as she learned to speak a few words, "Me, Daddy brown. Mommy, white." "Very good," I said. I would then bring a whole box of blocks and asked her to sort them first by colors, then by shapes. (As it turns out, she was exceptionally good at analogical reasoning and scored perfect scores in various IQ exams.)<br />
<br />
At three, she started going to a Jewish nursery school and after a few weeks there, she said "even though I am brown, why did you make me Jewish?"using her maximum verbal capacity at the time. To be frank, I was mortified a bit. I told her that one can be any color and still be Jewish, even though everyone else at school is beige. "I made us Jewish because I thought that would be the best for you. But if you don't want to be Jewish when you are older, you can then decide not to be Jewish anymore. But for now, you just ARE as Jewish as everyone else."<br />
<br />
Then when she was four, she told me that I should go back to Japan and live there because I was born there. At five, "Don't call me brown. I just wear brown skin." And if anybody should refer to anybody else as black, she'd get offended and say "Nobody is black!"<br />
<br />
So I had to sit her down and explain that there are many people who are called "Black" and identify themselves as Black, and the word has more than one meaning.<br />
<br />
By this point, doubts started to emerge in me. Doubts about series of decisions I had made for my child and for myself including my marriage. This past year has been difficult for our family because we have been witnessing the true racism and blatant condescension towards minorities being portrayed as non-racist.<br />
<br />
For example, one of my musician colleagues said the reason why our daughter got into _____ (an elite private school in New York City) is because she is black. So I told him that his statement was racist. Then he got offended by me calling his statement racist. (Remember, I never called "him" a racist.) He then went onto saying this. "Racist is someone like Trump. If he becomes the President, your husband will be working in a kitchen and you will be deported. And you won't be able to lead your own band because you are a woman!" (If anyone needs an explanation of what, in so many aspects, is wrong with his statement, I will do so in the next blog. But for now, I'll just move on.) FYI, my husband is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Newsome">Sam Newsome</a>.<br />
<br />
One of the things that happened during this election is that it allowed people to believe that they are not responsible for their own bigotry and racism by calling Donald Trump a racist. People have become so busy signaling their moral superiority that many skipped any kind of self-examination. Instead, they chose the quickest way to advertise their non-racist status which was to call Donald Trump a racist.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I am also guilty of my own racism and racial assumptions. Just last week, I spotted an Asian woman at my Temple, sitting next to her Jewish husband, or whom I assumed to be her Jewish husband. And for the whole service, I was trying unsuccessfully to believe that this woman was a Jew and that she could read Hebrew and knew the prayers. It was painful for me to admit that I was not able to do the very thing I ask others to do for me, which is to accept me as a Jew without any scrutiny.<br />
<br />
So when someone says something that seems racist, I try not to judge him/her and try to forgive that person. It certainly is difficult because racist remarks hurt my feelings, especially when it is about my own child. It is especially painful because the person who is hurting you so deeply has no recognition of guilt or shows any signs of remorse and ridicules me instead. But there is absolutely nothing I can say to them because they are not ready to be changed by a conversation they enter into (borrowing from Cornel West).<br />
<br />
And as far as my own child, I do not condemn her to be a racist. She is merely assessing the world around her using all of her cognitive abilities and trying to make sense. Her thought processes are developmentally appropriate for her age, if not slightly ahead of her peers, and even ahead of some of MY peers.<br />
<br />
So today, I celebrate my daughter's new developmental achievement. She finally sees me as a "plain old person" and not a person belonging to another country or someone with a different skin complexion from hers. She just sees me as a person just like herself, not one of the "others". It took her many years to get here and she still has a lot of wrestling to do. But we now know that she is capable of judging a person by the contents of one's character (as <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth115056.html" target="_blank">MLK had dreamed</a>) when it comes to her own mother. She still has a long way to go, but at least she is now on the right path.<br />
<br />
Are you?<br />
<br />
Please share the post!</div>
Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-79383559828079259952016-10-05T10:09:00.000-04:002018-03-23T07:17:19.001-04:00Authenticity Test: What Your Name Says About You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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“Hi, my name is Meg Okura; I am a jazz violinist and a composer” is something that I would say when I introduce myself.<br />
<br />
But is this an authentic statement? “My name is Meg Okura.” Yes and no. Sometimes people ask, “what is your REAL name” as if it’s not a real name. Meg Okura is just one of many names I have been called: the Chinese violinist, the Asian chick violinist, Connie Chung, Meg Okurawitz, and a few that I can’t mention here.<br />
<br />
All joking aside, my birth name is 大倉恵. That's the name I used to be called growing up in Japan. But now, everyone calls me Meg Okura, with the exception of my mother in law, who calls me Mrs. Newsome. Newsome is my husband’s name. Although I never changed my last name to Newsome, she still calls me Mrs. Newsome. I once confronted her about it, and she finally confessed that she just cannot remember my Japanese last name. It’s okay. We’ve only been married for 12 years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0an7dYrEajuZM2VazqcPQ3HOANNeHXqubDw7bljjF1IuSC_Fxx0zz07z3F4cuq4ffjrK2Fmtyoa_0Kbku6fckg33ssCvZ0-Puy0fitLZsSsdGc8MU2UQhw51UkHun-7i2UTQsMZ8eiCYz/s1600/5777card.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0an7dYrEajuZM2VazqcPQ3HOANNeHXqubDw7bljjF1IuSC_Fxx0zz07z3F4cuq4ffjrK2Fmtyoa_0Kbku6fckg33ssCvZ0-Puy0fitLZsSsdGc8MU2UQhw51UkHun-7i2UTQsMZ8eiCYz/s320/5777card.jpg" width="224" /></a>This week, we have just celebrated Rosh Hashanah and next week for Yom Kippur, will be again at Temple Israel, the synagogue where my daughter Naomi and I converted to Judaism. I took the Hebrew name רָחֵל (Rachael). It sounds as far away as it can get from the Japanese language. In fact, none of my family or friends in Japan know about my Hebrew name. So who am I really? Who is this Meg, Megumi, רָחֵל, Rachel, Newsome, Okura person?<br />
<br />
12 years ago, my husband, <a href="http://sopranosaxtalk.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sam Newsome</a>, a great soprano saxophonist, married a nice Japanese, Christian, classical violinist. Today, he is married to a Japanese Jewish jazz composer and violinist, who composes day and night, instead of doing housework. Back when we first met, all I wanted to be was a real jazz violinist like Stuff Smith, Joe Venuti, and others. I knew I could make myself sound just as good as them. But my husband would say “jazz is all about expressing yourself. You have to have your own unique sound.” But I DID NOT WANT TO sound unique. I just wanted to sound awesome. I wanted to sound “authentic”. Authentic jazz. The “real” jazz. I despised that word “unique”. That kind of attitude seemed so narcissistic to me. But I kept hearing him and other jazz musicians saying that I must have “my own voice.” And I had no clue what that meant. I didn’t know what it meant to be “authentically-me” as a jazz player.<br />
<br />
As a classical violinist, being authentic meant largely 18th and 19th Century European. There was not so much room for “self-expression” especially in orchestras where everyone has to play uniformly under the dictatorship of the conductor. It felt normal to me as it fit Japanese collectivist value that I grew up with. We care more about the harmony of a group than the individual expressions. There is a famous Japanese proverb, 「出る釘は打たれる」"A nail that sticks out will be hammered". If you choose to be a leader, you are always going to have people hating you and being critical. If you choose to keep your head down and hide in the crowd, you may not get hammered.<br />
<br />
Many people don't know this about me, but I actually dropped out of school at one point. It's OK. It was just kindergarten- the kindergarten that belonged to an evangelical church in Japan. My poor mother grew so tired of hearing me kvetch about having to sing and dance to children's songs and play with sands and clay all day, she decided to grant me my wish and allowed me to spend all day sitting in the corner of my bedroom doing what I loved the most: contemplating. I contemplated about the things that made me wonder, such as G-d, creation, and duality.<br />
<br />
The more I contemplated, the less all of these things made sense to me. I got so frustrated and tired, I finally decided to give up critical thinking and accepted God into my heart as my parents told me to. I decided to believe everything they believed: that God made this world in six days, that all babies were born sinners, and that if you don’t accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, God would burn you in the hell-fire, over and over for eternity. And, don’t forget, that He LOVED me.<br />
<br />
I also believed that I should not question my parents especially about G-d and all of the strict rules they were imposing on us. We just obeyed their rules and were never allowed to express what we wanted. In fact, my parents were never concerned about what I wanted. When I told my mother that I actually wanted to become a composer, her answer was very simple: “Girls cannot become composers.” I believed that statement and never pursued becoming one until years later.<br />
<br />
So I practiced the violin- the instrument of my mother's choice. And apparently, I was very talented. I even have perfect pitch. So it was decided by my teacher that I was going to become a concert violinist. So I worked hard. I even got accepted to 桐朋学園子供のための音楽教室 Toho School when I was five, and I was one of the top students there. I also got straight A's and often got a perfect score on other tests. But everytime I achieved something, my mother would complain that I was too competitive and working too hard and that I needed to relax more. My parents always reminded me of a Bible verse Matthew 19:30 "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first”. It means, if you care too much about worldly success, you will have lower status in heaven. ...It was all about the afterlife. Everything in this world was just a prelude to eternity in heaven, ...or hell. (I wasn’t sure if I could get into heaven since I was not able to forgive my rapist… But that’s a topic for another day.)<br />
<br />
In my late teens, I made my solo debut at Kennedy Center. I also got accepted to Juilliard. I moved to New York with just two suitcases and continued my studies in classical violin. I also got to experience other things in New York, such as dating. Naturally, I have dated a few Jewish boys. I was pretty much an every Jewish mother’s nightmare, trying to convert their boys to Christianity!<br />
<br />
For me, the assimilation to American culture was pretty easy. For the first time in my life, I received a lot of affirmation and acknowledgment for my accomplishments on a daily basis, and I didn’t have to look over my shoulders with the fear of being hammered. What stands out the most was my newly discovered ability as a composer. Many of my Juilliard professors often praised my work. One even told me that one of my assignments was the best he had ever seen in his 28 years of teaching at Juilliard.<br />
<br />
So I started composing more and more. The more I did it, the more I loved it. Time seemed to pass the fastest when I was composing. It enabled me to experience certain intense emotions on cue. And as I got more deeply into it, I realized I needed to study jazz if I was really going to be a great composer. I knew that the harmonic sophistication of jazz would provide me with a wealth of information. Learning jazz was very challenging, especially on the violin, which some may still consider the “wrong” instrument for jazz. It’s like learning a new language, but it was worse because I didn’t grow up listening to jazz at home. But I kept trying, and eventually, succeeded.<br />
<br />
As a result, and thanks to my husband’s honest and relentless criticism and constructive advice, I was able to start my own ensemble in 2006, called the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble. It wasn’t easy since I really had to change my mindset about jazz. Instead of thinking of being “Asian” as a disadvantage, I had to learn to embrace it. Instead of getting angry at people who called me the Chinese violinist, I picked up the actual Chinese violin- the instrument called 二胡Erhu. And instead of trying to fight the “classical” side of my instrument, I put that virtuosity and rich expression forefront and called it “chamber jazz”. And you know what? It kind of worked.<br />
<br />
I finally discovered my own voice through my ensemble. It was the music that I wrote just for myself, not for anyone else. And to be honest, I really didn’t care if other people liked it. And for the first time in my life, I felt I was being authentic musically. I totally owned my music and this genre I called “chamber jazz”.<br />
<br />
And through this musical journey, I started to be able to understand what it means to live an authentic life. I stopped worrying about how others perceived my life choices, especially what my parents wanted, and truly started to live a life of my own. I am a Jew by choice, American by choice, jazz musician by choice, and a mother by choice. To some, I may sound totally meshuggah (crazy) and confused. But I am neither confused nor crazy. In fact, I have never been so sure of myself till now.<br />
There will always be purists. The orthodox Jews and the jazz police will argue that I am not a real Jew, or my music is not really jazz. They will all call me “inauthentic.” But I say to them, perhaps you lack imagination. Most American people deem me a Japanese person forever because of my appearance and my accent (a very slight one). And Japanese people consider me American because I don’t fit into their cultural stereotype, nor truly understand or agree with their culture and values. And to be perfectly frank, I am often surprised when I see myself in the mirror because I don’t really look like the person I feel I am inside.<br />
<br />
So what is my real name? Is Megumi Okura more authentic than Meg Okura? Quite the contrary. Megumi Okura barely exists. But 大倉恵 on the other hand will always exist in my family members’ hearts. I will be theirs forever. And I am honored that the other Mrs. Newsome calls me Mrs. Newsome. I hope that I can be the wife who deserves such a title. And the name רָחֵל Rachel, Roche, Rocheli, the names called by some of my Israeli and Jewish friends, the tribe of my choice, and the culture with which I chose to raise my daughter.<br />
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All of these names are authentically mine collectively. They are not mutually exclusive. Meg would have never existed without Megumi, and obviously, I AM an Okura-- many Okuras are a bit meshugah, and some very smart and funny, including my 落語家 (raku go ka) comedian uncle. And without my mother, רָחֵל Rachel would have never existed. My mother is the one who had always told me how much she admired Jewish people because they always “educated and studied.” She is the one who has discovered my perfect pitch, and also played so many violin concertos on vinyl every morning, performed by masters like Heifetz, Milstein, Stern, Perlman, Szigeti, Auer, Kogan, Joachim, Menuhin, Oistrakh, and need I say more?<br />
<br />
Who and what I have become today exists not “in spite of” my parents, but rather “because” of them. Every gene in my body came from them. DNA doesn’t lie. But my gene expression got changed after I was exposed to jazz. My DNA got a heck of a lot more expressive...<br />
<br />
Today, I have joined the ranks of New York jazz composers. My mother was wrong. Girls CAN become composers. Being a jazz composer and being a mother of our daughter, I feel more authentically "me" than I ever have before. It’s just that, for me, authenticity came from many unexpected places.<br />
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Shanah Tovah!<br />
<span id="goog_331276264"></span><span id="goog_331276265"></span></div>
Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-3935626521058828362014-04-02T14:17:00.007-04:002017-10-04T08:28:09.940-04:00Why “Are you Korean or Japanese?” Is Not a Good Pickup Line<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: inherit;">(What kind of Asian are you?)<br>
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">Strangers
make racial remarks to me frequently, almost as frequently as they acknowledge
me for being an ovulating homo-sapien as I take the bus or the subway in New York City. But if you
are just trying to start a friendly conversation, “Are you Korean?” may not be
your best choice. It doesn’t translate very well with me because this is what I
think it means. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=v5gehBziEGCsnM&tbnid=kbpG2avw9kyL3M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.staceyreid.com%2Fnews%2F%3Fp%3D3577&ei=1Ss8U_OPA-SvsQS70oGYDg&bvm=bv.63934634,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNGJZH-nieOfXDzZUj42WZuL6flQxA&ust=1396538702488593" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://www.staceyreid.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/asian.jpg" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 27px;" width="200" height="160"></a><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> “Even though I didn’t grow up with many
Asian people around, I still know that there are different cultures within the
Asian culture. So I better let her know that I know that.”</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
Or</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
“My last girlfriend was from Korea. And you look like you could be her sister."</span>
</span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> Whichever the case, there is nothing wrong with asking this question. I
just don't feel like talking to you. No one thinks it's an
offensive question, right? Well, you might be surprised. I have to say it's one
of the most delicate topics among Asians. Despite the fact
that DNA studies show our close ties, the Asian people themselves like to think that their physical
attributes are different from (and better than) that of the other nationals. These are excerpts
from my real life experiences.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
</span><div class="rg_ilm rg_ilsm" data-ved="0CKUCEPcLMEM">
<div class="rg_ilmbg">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="rg_ilmn"> </span></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZl6zgYRUqZaQvmtIT2gUM91FCgaBtT0O3GLnpw1rqguDCqeYEdMRkR4rFDgEKhBTm3W9TWsANLO7NXJc4yt5AYF9TAH5xsvsy6jcOfjzS1IiMp0Zrt9gNU19KkRr4aG-RE3yV8-Yjv45/s1600/nk3tZMS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZl6zgYRUqZaQvmtIT2gUM91FCgaBtT0O3GLnpw1rqguDCqeYEdMRkR4rFDgEKhBTm3W9TWsANLO7NXJc4yt5AYF9TAH5xsvsy6jcOfjzS1IiMp0Zrt9gNU19KkRr4aG-RE3yV8-Yjv45/s1600/nk3tZMS.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="149"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> A
Korean girl: “Meg, you don’t look Japanese at all. You look Korean because you
have big round eyes. I know most Japanese people have slanted eyes.“ (giggle)</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><br><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"></span></span></span><br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">
</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> A
Chinese girl: “Meg, if I didn’t know you were Japanese, I would have guessed
that you were from China because you don’t have those typical Japanese slanted
eyes.”</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> A
Japanese girl: “What? Somebody said you look Chinese? How rude! Don’t worry.
You don’t have slanted eyes like the Chinese! You are pretty!”</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> So
the discussion of which of the three Asian countries one looks like she is from
is simply ridiculous. I think it’s best to start a conversation with something
else, like you would with any other human beings. Also, by starting with race,
it gives an impression that you are only interested in stereotypes of that
person's race. So it’s better to wait for a few minutes (or weeks) if you can resist it. I
should also note that while some Asian girls may fit some of the stereotypes
such as quiet or polite, many Asians today do not. So you might want to be
ready for disappointments. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">Several years ago, I met a musician on a gig who lived in New Jersey. When the
topic of real estate came up, he said to me, “You and your husband should move
my town in New Jersey. We like people like you to come to our
neighborhood.” “Why?” I asked. “Well, when blacks come to a neighborhood, the
property value goes down. And the problem with Jews is that they don’t eat the
same stuff and kids can't play together.” Needless to say, I was offended by
his insensitive, yet very candid remarks. Despite my anger and hurt, I remained
silent because I knew he would not have made these remarks had he not made
wrong assumptions about me in the first place.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span></span></span>
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</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60wlAAPOOmhgxDz0vpWWPuU-Iu-GEMuItxr_S0MPR5MJdGE0V8roHN71x07O0rPiRZ2SGO3MPUQO6k2AqnTXf2nVbREYnkfcHw6NzaxECf7ZdOGgInHdS1fXJT4Bf6T5gQb74kpvAHbFT/s1600/keep-calm-and-stay-asian-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60wlAAPOOmhgxDz0vpWWPuU-Iu-GEMuItxr_S0MPR5MJdGE0V8roHN71x07O0rPiRZ2SGO3MPUQO6k2AqnTXf2nVbREYnkfcHw6NzaxECf7ZdOGgInHdS1fXJT4Bf6T5gQb74kpvAHbFT/s1600/keep-calm-and-stay-asian-1.png" width="171" border="0" height="200"></a></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">His
wrong assumptions were:</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
#1) Since I am Japanese, my husband must surely be Asian too.</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
#2) Japanese people are Buddhist or Shinto, and certainly not Jewish.</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
#3) And therefore, there should be no reason for me to take his anti-Semitic
and racially insensitive remarks personally.</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><br>
#4) Even if he exposes his racist views, I will just take it and won’t make any
waves because we (Asians) are “nice”. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> Though
I don’t expect anyone to know that I am a Reform Jew or that my husband is an
African American, I still don’t consider myself to be that unique. So many
musicians are in interracial marriages/relationships. Also, most of my
classmates in the Judaism conversion class were Asians, getting ready to start
Jewish families. Take the new senior rabbi, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/profiles/angela-buchdahl/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Angela Buchdahl</span></a> at Central Synagogue, one of the
largest Reform congregations in the country. She is Asian and a famous rabbi. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> Just
last week, I met a U.S. based dancer <a href="http://www.hanna-lee.com/" target="_blank">Hanna-Lee Sakakibara</a> at a gig. She looks Asian
like myself, and many people in the audience could not tell us apart. But when
you hear her speaking to my band-mates in Hebrew, you would know immediately
that she is not a recent convert. Despite her looks, Hanna-Lee speaks perfect
Hebrew and English because she was born and raised in Jerusalem by a Japanese
father and Australian mother.</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> Or
let’s take our fellow musician like <a href="http://www.helensung.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Helen Sung</span></a>, one of the top jazz musicians of our
generation. We all know that she swings the hell out of that piano. She was
born and raised in Houston, Texas. Yet, strangers constantly treat her as a
foreigner. How much more American can a person be? Isn’t becoming one of the
bests in jazz enough to qualify her as an American?</span>
</span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> So think again before assuming that Asian Americans are somehow less American
than all of the other Americans. “Where are you originally from” is a question
people ask after an Asian person had already answered the question “where are
you from”. It doesn’t matter what city you were born in. No U.S. city can
satisfy those who insist on playing "let me guess what kind of Asian you
are" game. What is so satisfying about finding out if a person’s
grandmother is from Taiwan? So you can then say “I love Thai food!!”?</span>
</span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> Growing up in a fundamental protestant household in
Japan, I missed out on every seasonal celebration of the Japanese culture. We grew up in a church with American and German missionary families and my parents constantly reminded us that
we Christians were different from the secular world and that we did not belong
to the Japanese Buddhist/Shinto culture. I always felt like an outsider growing
up in Japan and truly looked forward to finally coming to America to be with my
fellow Christians.</span> </span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"></span> So I am sorry if I don’t act Japanese enough.</span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><br></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Bpqf7ieQS7ryl2MOD_aWczClLKrGVGh96zW3BjuA7uOe0qmpMyi63qCVz7PhG13n6K1kkspND0Rh2queNWN8C_uqDWXd_QC9G9TXKlndW9SjDbJC4aA1rggiP-_p2PikwOMaDTO_Na4Z/s1600/Hello-Kitty-Sitting-hello-kitty-25604546-423-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Bpqf7ieQS7ryl2MOD_aWczClLKrGVGh96zW3BjuA7uOe0qmpMyi63qCVz7PhG13n6K1kkspND0Rh2queNWN8C_uqDWXd_QC9G9TXKlndW9SjDbJC4aA1rggiP-_p2PikwOMaDTO_Na4Z/s1600/Hello-Kitty-Sitting-hello-kitty-25604546-423-500.jpg" width="168" border="0" height="200"></a><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- No,
I don’t cook Japanese meals for my husband everyday if ever. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- I
am not subservient, quiet or nice. </span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">-To
the contrary, I am a bitch and I curse like a sailor. (Sorry for the
stereotyping of sailors!)</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- And
I will not bow when I see you. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsn2TmXdcQ5YgdnsXOUtj14eTzHchnKUvo-CXduQWr02NcaPWPzG7Pd0XExh2SX4xmtl4UETxkIEfYEeFxdsTY2YUNRfOyXzL4CzH2QvhA1iPQAN8pADB7b1mlYkwjNrqX7lQ04VzTBx1/s1600/Corbis-42-27636845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsn2TmXdcQ5YgdnsXOUtj14eTzHchnKUvo-CXduQWr02NcaPWPzG7Pd0XExh2SX4xmtl4UETxkIEfYEeFxdsTY2YUNRfOyXzL4CzH2QvhA1iPQAN8pADB7b1mlYkwjNrqX7lQ04VzTBx1/s1600/Corbis-42-27636845.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="133"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- I
have always hated Hello Kitty</span><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- I
am not that good at math. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- I
do neither karate nor karaoke.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">- I
do not eat Sushi everyday, or can afford to do so.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHx1cN7WStUEoOx9OeQr15YjuajOQV5y_Ydt_y1-h48yiTvmv9XushAdaYEPrjarcndKiS710n4rSdWBTqlHw_Qc4yPbyhHCvZ2cy-QPTwTmiuDTzPyG58U154Txqrc4B1dwkrz-P7d-IL/s1600/atrocity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHx1cN7WStUEoOx9OeQr15YjuajOQV5y_Ydt_y1-h48yiTvmv9XushAdaYEPrjarcndKiS710n4rSdWBTqlHw_Qc4yPbyhHCvZ2cy-QPTwTmiuDTzPyG58U154Txqrc4B1dwkrz-P7d-IL/s1600/atrocity.jpg" width="200" border="0" height="130"></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> And
I am sorry if I don’t seem proud of being Japanese. </span></span></span>But
I find it challenging to be proud of a country that committed the worst
atrocities against humanity in the history, and deny it to this day. The
Japanese killed more than 30 million Asian people, not to mention human
experiments of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Unit731</span></a>
(sometimes even on children), mass murders and mass rapes (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Nanking Massacre</span></a>), military organized rapes of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Comfort women</span></a>, just to name a few. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> So
the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ" target="_blank">“what kind of Asian are you?” </a>question is not a good ice-breaker. I am tired of having to answer this question, especially
when all I want to do is to get milk for the baby and get back home.
I do not need a guy reminding me of my Asian appearance on the subway platform at 1:00
AM after playing 3 sets at Zinc Bar. And please stop harassing me when I ignore
you, lecturing me how I should be proud of my heritage just
because I don’t want to engage in a conversation with a drunk.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
<br>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;"> The
problem with us Asian people having to constantly tell people where our
ancestors are from is that there is an underline implication of us not being
real Americans. I have met many Japanese people in California who have been
U.S. citizens for several generations whose Japanese American parents were put
in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the U.S. internment camps</span></a> during the WWII. For a
long time, Asians have kept low profile because their rights and wealth have
been taken away by the government at times, in spite of their hard work and
services to the country. Today, Asian Americans earn the highest median
personal incomes than any other racial demographic, thus paying more taxes to
the US Government. Maybe it's time that people start accepting Asian Americans
as real Americans.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJWmfcTL_oqO0CGt49uZEpf9d0m3vXQMQEX9_jc7OuFOimAFv_ZaIbdj_luc_AzQKCIpfmavllwImvwEewsE9fisRC6zfeukhDd-NPS7bErgNngxV27rifBm8RDdu798in_Jhf6G2sWNP/s1600/map-japan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJWmfcTL_oqO0CGt49uZEpf9d0m3vXQMQEX9_jc7OuFOimAFv_ZaIbdj_luc_AzQKCIpfmavllwImvwEewsE9fisRC6zfeukhDd-NPS7bErgNngxV27rifBm8RDdu798in_Jhf6G2sWNP/s1600/map-japan.gif" width="320" border="0" height="265"></a></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: inherit;">
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<span style="background-color: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto auto;">And
as for my Japanese family, friends and colleagues, I truly love you, and there are many wonderful things about the culture. But your blissful
ignorance is not cute. Today, ignorance is a choice. If you chose to stay
ignorant, you are not a decent human being. It's time to read up on
the subject and stop honoring the Japanese war criminals as heroes. "Pride" coming from ignorance is not a virtue. </span></span></span></span></div>
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-87261829358021566182014-02-08T02:03:00.001-05:002018-03-26T00:31:03.171-04:00Why Do Japanese People Suck at English? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Problems With the Japanese Phonetic Writing System</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />When Japanese tourists visit Korea, their nearest neighboring country, they like to order kimchi, spicy and sour pickled vegetables served as a side dish. Kimchi is Korea's national dish and Japanese people have been enjoying this dish since the mid 1970's. But something went wrong when my father and a group of Japanese people tried to order kimchi at a restaurant in Seoul last year. Despite their collective effort, they were not able to pronounce this word correctly. Their Japanese accent was just too strong to be understood by the Korean wait staff. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg6lme8emSjXmZv1Q_azIHvxrdz7WWq5Oqx0qGxdbNAUM4iq05s4sFpIXlcUaSwzos1GfVblJ7DkIwv94vL5MOmNgJy1yRHER2e50LxRHKoJXSXiLHs7iG-QH72AL0fL8RSkoktZM2WiZ/s1600/Kimchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg6lme8emSjXmZv1Q_azIHvxrdz7WWq5Oqx0qGxdbNAUM4iq05s4sFpIXlcUaSwzos1GfVblJ7DkIwv94vL5MOmNgJy1yRHER2e50LxRHKoJXSXiLHs7iG-QH72AL0fL8RSkoktZM2WiZ/s1600/Kimchi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what exactly is a Japanese accent? Well, there are a few different ones, but the one I would like to talk about today is the lack of what I call "independent consonants". In the Japanese language, all but one consonant is followed by a vowel. So in the case of the word <i>kimchi</i>, it is the "m" sound in the middle that Japanese people have trouble pronouncing. They can do one of two things. Either to ignore that consonant, pretending that it doesn't exist, or add a vowel. For example, the city <i>Hong Kong</i> is called ホンコン"Ho-n-ko-n", while the film <i>King Kong</i> is called キングコング "ki-n-gu ko -n-gu." In the case of <i>kimchi</i>, they added a vowel "u" (oo sound), pronouncing it <i>Kee-Moo-chee</i>. So when the Korean waiters heard "Kee-moo-chee", a three-syllable word, they simply didn't recognize what was being said.<br />
<br />But shouldn't Japanese still be able to pronounce the "m" sound if they can say "moo"? Yes, we Japanese people are physiologically capable of making that sound. However, it is how we think about the sound that makes it excruciatingly difficult. The Japanese phonetic writing system called “kana” does not have any symbols that represent just the consonants. The <i>kana</i> (both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiragana" target="_blank">hiragana</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana" target="_blank">katakana</a>) characters originally came from Chinese logograms, and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">each of these letters represents a syllable. </span></span>Every kana is a simplified version of a Chinese character (漢字)and is a combination of a consonant and a vowel, except for the five short vowels (a, i, u, e, o). For example, the letter, which represents the sound "ki" (キ)comes from a Chinese character (機)meaning "machine" while the letter for "ko" (コ)is from a character which means “self” (己). These two phonetic symbols ki and ko have nothing in common visually. Therefore it is hard for a Japanese person to conceive of a consonant as an actual sound, let alone being able to recognize the sound upon hearing it independent of a vowel.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6F4dZy0jXofhyQmtLJ18sL4kBlEFMPKaESGiX0PII_i5fItWHjZ7zErk_XNIATT6jPlVOW5nDxclpV0p1HNmLThBf-C7UYZJW5mtkukRf4ALc1qXQwsamsSgUofeXjNNQI0KfYRrdia9/s1600/87fe56ec-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6F4dZy0jXofhyQmtLJ18sL4kBlEFMPKaESGiX0PII_i5fItWHjZ7zErk_XNIATT6jPlVOW5nDxclpV0p1HNmLThBf-C7UYZJW5mtkukRf4ALc1qXQwsamsSgUofeXjNNQI0KfYRrdia9/s1600/87fe56ec-s.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A good example of this is when trying to locate a McDonald's restaurant in Japan as an English speaking person. If you have ever been there, you know what I'm talking about. Asking an average Japanese person in the street "where is the McDonald's", would leave you to believe that the restaurant chain doesn't exist in Japan, despite the fact that there are over 3,000 of them all over the country. If you simply pronounce the name McDonald's, the only sounds that they are able to hear are "dona" and the sounds “Mc” and “ld's” are not detectable to them. For the Japanese, McDonald's is a six-syllable word, using six phonetic characters, マクドナルドma-ku-do-na-ru-do.<br />
<br />And to this day, I still remember feeling frustrated hearing the song "Old McDonald Had A Farm" blasted through speakers at my preschool in Japan. Even though they played this song on a daily basis, none of us preschoolers were able to fake-sing this song, even though most of us were capable of writing full sentences in Japanese using kana letters! And what's ironic is that it is as though by the age three, our brains had already mapped out such strong wiring for the Japanese kana characters that everything we hear seems to get filtered through that mapping, allowing very few sounds through.<br />
<br />And this raises questions of what ifs. What if the Japanese used Hebrew alef bet (22 consonant letters with vowel markings), or Hangul, the Korean phonetic alphabet instead? Even though Hangul is a syllabic system, the each character actually contains different parts, making it possible to indicate a consonant-vowel-consonant combination. For example, the word Kimchi is spelled with two characters, <b>김치</b>, the first one consisting of three parts, upper left is the “k” sound, upper right is the “i” (like eel) and the lower part is the “m”. Since the Korean language is mostly syllabic, Hangul allows much wider range and variety of sounds than the language requires. It sounds inefficient, but I think it can be useful when learning other languages. My speculation is that the structure of written symbols would affect the brain's wiring, making it possible to perceive the sounds of languages other than one's native tongue, making it easier to pronounce other languages regardless of familiarity or exposures. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I therefore ask, “what if Japanese had learned to read and write their native tongue using alphabet system of some sort instead of the Japanese kana?” Would it make it easier for Japanese people to distinguish independent consonants, thus making it much easier to master English? The answer is no because this is only one of several challenges that we Japanese people face when trying to master another language. (And I am planning to explain other problems in my future blogs.) But what I can say for sure is that transliteration of any foreign language into Japanese kana should have never become a standard practice. Why? Just imagine what your name would look and sound like on a Japanese paper? Have you ever heard of a famous jazz bass player se-shi-ru-ma-ku-bi-i? (<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span lang="JA" style="color: blue; font-weight: normal;">セシル・マクビー</span></a></b>) </span></span></div>
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2097731368290310282.post-66906628171005242552014-01-21T14:31:00.000-05:002014-02-08T02:46:46.106-05:00My Conversion Speech on January 17 @ Temple Israel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Until recently, I
was a very unlikely candidate for conversion. Even though I am Japanese, I was raised
in a believing Protestant household, and subsequently became a Born-Again
Christian at the age of ten at a Christian camp in Japan. At 18, I moved
to the U.S. to attend The Juilliard School. I used to be a Christian violinist, giving church concerts, appearing at evangelical
events and on Christian TV programs. And I led prayer groups at a church
in New York City. Yes, I was that crazy Shiksa.</span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">It was about ten
years ago, that I started touring with “<a href="http://www.pharaohsdaughter.com/index.html" target="_blank">Pharaoh’s Daughter</a>”, a Jewish
Middle-Eastern band consisting of mostly Israelis and few Gentiles. It’s headed
by an American Jew, <a href="http://www.pharaohsdaughter.com/bio.html" target="_blank">Basya Schechter</a>, an ex-ultra-Orthodox woman from Borough
Park. We have performed at many Jewish festivals and all imaginable venues;
Carnegie Hall, JCC’s, synagogues, colleges and even prisons. We traveled, ate,
laughed, and occasionally, we cried together. For the past ten years, I got to
participate in many Jewish events, from attending Passover seders to a Limmud
Conference in England. Casual, yet intense discussions with my band mates
during our travels, often left me thinking afterwards. I even started to
question some of the doctrines of Christianity.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5o_DbNb7TmzjwU6MPj6p9K6c-3zWkAp-TQoTxlJsN1InvyxceoI7rk9d5cpjcf7i5gSoGGpN2F_KzOTVcVeRpU0xMsc7rZaJxC-SLUzWWDuiP0zvZR7KCHDojaflT4OSCOXs52651w9-/s1600/IMG_2632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5o_DbNb7TmzjwU6MPj6p9K6c-3zWkAp-TQoTxlJsN1InvyxceoI7rk9d5cpjcf7i5gSoGGpN2F_KzOTVcVeRpU0xMsc7rZaJxC-SLUzWWDuiP0zvZR7KCHDojaflT4OSCOXs52651w9-/s1600/IMG_2632.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />
But it really wasn’t until 2007, after a long ride home from a gig in upstate
New York, that my internal life was completely changed. During the drive, our
drummer started questioning about the authenticity of the first-century Jewish
carpenter- that there are many competing ideas about this
man who became an itinerant rabbi. So when I got home, I got online and started
digging into the historicity of this man so that I can refute this myth theory,
and other shocking claims. It was a mind-boggling and revealing
experience. I began to think for myself instead of believing in blind
faith. And by the end of my second day, I realized that I had been wrong, and
the drummer was right!<br />
<br />
I was so devastated that my knees felt weak and my voice trembled. I prayed for
two more days in the name of this Jewish carpenter, desperately asking him for a
sign. But nothing happened. The faith I had kept since I was five years old had
completely crumbled down. He was my best friend, my God, my Father, and the
center of my life. The sense of loss was overwhelming. Yet I had to figure out
how I was going to live the rest of my life. Am I going to live a double-life
and keep this from everyone? Or, am I going to tell my family, being
fully aware that the news will most certainly devastate them? Are they going to
ostracize me as a result? Coming out to Christian family and friends can be
very risky. As matter of fact, I once came out to one of my closest Christian
friends only to be rejected. She said I was never a true Christian. Losing my
spiritual friend and my faith of 30 years was painful enough, but losing my
real life friend was demoralizing.</span></span></span></div>
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Though transitioning was difficult, I felt freer than ever before. I no longer
had to hide my doubts- some of the Christian doctrines are extremely difficult
to fathom and contradictory such as the concept of trinity, original sin, free will, after life (eternal suffering), and predestination.
I finally felt truly authentic to myself again just like I used to feel before
I became a Christian. Now I am doing exactly the same thing as I used to as a
child, passionately pondering upon all of those fascinating things, like the
universe, consciousness, brains, emotions, and all aspects of life. I still
remember being five years old, and one day, made a conscious decision to give
up my “thinking processes” and to follow the faith of my parents’. What five
year old wouldn't want to trust her parents? After all, they are the ones who
taught me not to run into the traffic or not to touch the hot stove.<br />
<br />
Thirty years later, my husband Sam and I happily became parents to a baby girl
named Naomi- spelled with two Chinese characters, meaning “shining and beauty.”
Naomi was the name I had picked 30 years ago when I was learning the
story of Ruth and Naomi in my Sunday school class- a name that is one
hundred per cent Hebrew, one hundred per cent American, and one hundred per
cent Japanese. In the Bible, Naomi was the Israelite mother in law of Ruth who
was a gentile who freely chose Judaism as I do this Shabbat. It is a story of
loyalty and honor, and a commitment to her mother in law.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">I, too have a
mother-in-law whom I respect very much. Her name is Professor Rebecca Newsome.
She was born in Salisbury, Maryland. She was the top of her class all
throughout her life, and had received master’s degree in nursing and became a
professor at the prestigious Black university, Hampton University in the
1970’s. This is no small accomplishment for someone who came from a family
where both her parents were illiterate and her grandfather was a slave.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">My commitment to
my mother-in-law will be to teach and educate her granddaughter Naomi to strive
for the best in academic studies and to be a <i>mentsch</i> – a
person of dignity and noble character- to </span>honor the hard work and sacrifice
of her grandmother<span style="color: #222222;">. Half a century ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King and
other courageous Black leaders, often marching hand and hand with rabbis, made
it possible for us to have the rights to go to the same universities as the
whites, or to dine at restaurants and stay at five-star hotels, or to attend desegregated
religious services. We may not be sitting here tonight if it wasn’t for their
efforts.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6zckEPTIx7hBiD90CxtTYtPA6aBApM7ySez_ldBFJQBcjNLG1KbFs19QCHqB8oUNSIiPeqcf-qVRaHgbcgvqtWcWYc0axxNeUZy26XZvW5bW2deDqt2FRnRdkV5pfBF52lIbUXAjInyG/s1600/martin-luther-king-jr-620x470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6zckEPTIx7hBiD90CxtTYtPA6aBApM7ySez_ldBFJQBcjNLG1KbFs19QCHqB8oUNSIiPeqcf-qVRaHgbcgvqtWcWYc0axxNeUZy26XZvW5bW2deDqt2FRnRdkV5pfBF52lIbUXAjInyG/s1600/martin-luther-king-jr-620x470.jpg" height="151" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">However, while
many of us minorities have been enjoying all of those wonderful privileges for
many years now, the struggle for equality is still not over for many
Americans. Dr. King’s march
included demands for equality in employment, wages, and housing. Unfortunately,
there is a legacy of discrimination in this country, and certain groups
continue to suffer disproportionately. 300 years of slavery and subsequent Jim
Crow law and other state sponsored laws have lasting effects that are still
felt today among underprivileged African American populations. As Abraham
Joshua Heschel said “few are guilty, but all are responsible.” Being
Japanese, I am often a victim of racist remarks, and have had countless
sleepless nights thinking about racism.
Yet, I tend to stay passive partially because the Japanese person in me
tells me to “Gaman” - </span>"to endure the unbearable with patience and
dignity”. Japanese culture discourages making of any waves. It is also my
ignorance on this topic of systemic racism, which keeps me from taking an
initiative. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Limmud, a Hebrew
word for “learning” is one of the most important Jewish values. Limmud is not
just limited to the studying of Judaism, but also includes learning in general.
In the age of information, ignorance is a choice, and as a new Jew, I must
strive to learn more about the history of African American struggles and other
complex social issues of our generation that too often keep us divided. And I
will join the collective effort of tikkun olam, “healing the world”, striving
to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people. I understand that this
cannot happen overnight, but I can do my part in the way that I live my life as
a mother. By converting to Judaism, Naomi will be taught the importance of
integrity, social justice, and empathy for all people as opposed to closing
blind eyes on day to day struggles of people in need. She will be encouraged to
embrace all of her traditions and learning of history and cultures, and to be a
truth-seeker so she can make informed choices in her life. She will be taught
to value the sanctity of life above all, importance of action over words, and
to live a socially responsible life and stand up for those who cannot. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">However, over the
past few weeks, a few Christians tried to tell me that I am making a huge
mistake by converting my child to Judaism. I know exactly where they are coming
from, and I sincerely appreciate their concerns for the fate of my daughter’s
eternal soul. I would have done the same thing if I was a Christian still. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Contrary to a common misconception, Judaism is not
Christianity minus the New Testament. Judaism holds very different perspectives
and interpretations of the Bible, and its philosophy and values have been
carefully examined and scrutinized over thousands of years. Jews of each
generation have been wrestling with the written texts spanning nearly 4,000
years, from the Bible, Mishna, Talmud, to Midrash, and so on. Today, Judaism’s
rich traditions and rituals are still observed by Jews in many different forms,
and it continues to cater to the myriad needs of contemporary Jews, while
caring for all of humanity.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">And for someone like myself, who grew up without
traditional rituals and seasonal celebrations of her own ethnic culture, due to
her Christian belief, Judaism’s adherence to its rich traditions, rituals,
Hebrew language, music, attire, and even food, will add so much depth to our
family life, and feeling of being connected to the wider community of my
people. I also believe that Reform Judaism is a constructive vehicle to
practice morals without religious dogmas, allowing individuals to approach
Mitzvot in the spirit of freedom and choice. The principles of Reform Judaism
resonate with me because they are not only Jewish values, but also some of our
human virtues, including commitment to social justice, equality of women,
principle of inclusion, and Judaism that changes and adapts to the needs of the
day. I therefore chose Judaism for myself and my most beloved daughter.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb812byGAA0K82nToTUQtCGz6LOQ9mM3Je5k7T6CyJ8UyymzNkHUg2eIC_T19cSW9Wm5FAGbojfO_hZZEh0cyZmiEOGeGgzFg18rhKORqjgIF58lptddNgM6PwDPwoHa7SbL2RTOqoawM/s1600/ConversionPaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb812byGAA0K82nToTUQtCGz6LOQ9mM3Je5k7T6CyJ8UyymzNkHUg2eIC_T19cSW9Wm5FAGbojfO_hZZEh0cyZmiEOGeGgzFg18rhKORqjgIF58lptddNgM6PwDPwoHa7SbL2RTOqoawM/s1600/ConversionPaper.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">As I stand here tonight, I realize how so many people
have played different roles in my becoming a Jew. I started playing the violin
here at Temple Israel in 2007 with Cantor Nesis. Over the past six years, I
have had the privilege of observing dozens of wonderful Bar and Bat Mitzvah
boys and girls being called to the Torah. Pretty early on, I realized that
Reform Judaism held keys to the kind of parenting I wanted for my own child.
While they have all impressed me, there was one particular person who made a
big impression on me. Her name is Julie Aaron; she became a Bat Mitzvah on
September 26, 2009. She was like a burst of sunlight. Though she was only
thirteen and petit, she stood tall, and spoke with such enthusiasm, joy,
sophistication, eloquence and wit. I was so moved by Julie and her story that I
remember wiping my tears as I walked down on Park Avenue after that service.
“How amazing would it be to become parents to a beautiful girl like her!” I
thought. Julie, of Vietnamese origin, here at Temple Israel, raised in a
loving Jewish family, has been one of our official witnesses this evening!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">7 months later, we found out that we were going to
become parents. And I still kept thinking about Julie’s Bat Mitzvah. In secret,
I was regretting that I didn’t put my time and effort to convert to Judaism
earlier so our child could have been born a Jew. So this was a big dilemma, and
there were very few people with whom I felt comfortable talking, namely my
friend Colette Levinstein. She is the one who gave me the idea of converting my
child, and she became one of my key Judaism consultants, and today, is also
here as our witness.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my
Jewish friends and colleagues who inspired me through their excellence in what
they do. Thanks to Basya Schechter, John Zorn, <a href="http://www.gerardedery.com/biography/" target="_blank">Gerard Edery</a>, <a href="http://craignco.com/v3/wordpress/about-craig/" target="_blank">Craig Taubman</a>,
<a href="http://www.sheilanesis.com/" target="_blank">Cantor Nesis</a>, Cantor Abelson, <a href="http://sheerabendavid.com/" target="_blank">Cantor Ben-David</a>; to each of you my gratitude for
your music and words, wisdom, friendship and trust in me to be “Jew-ish” enough
to work with you. I would also like to thank my agent, Moishe Rosenfeld for
being a mensch, representing me and my Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble for the
past 7 years. Thank you to my husband <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Newsome" target="_blank">Sam Newsome</a> for your support in every
possible way, and shedding light on things that I wouldn’t have contemplated
otherwise. And thank you to my rabbis who have taught me along the way so
far; Rabbi Janet Roberts of the Intro to Judaism class, Rabbi Buyer, Rabbi
Stolof, Rabbi Sepadin, and Rabbi Gelfand. I look forward to our future
journeys! I would also like to mention my secular Jewish bandleaders and
conductors, the legends whom I had the greatest honor of working with, who had
passed away; Alexander Schneider, Jack Elliot, and Michael Brecker. I can see
all of you in heaven, smiling at me right now.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Lastly, Mom, Dad, I thank you so much for giving me
life, and giving me the perfect pitch genes. I certainly would have never been
playing here tonight if it wasn’t for the DNA I inherited from you guys which
gives me a huge advantage as an improviser and a composer. Thank you for
raising me and supporting me throughout my life. I had had truly unique and extraordinary
experiences, especially for a Japanese person, being raised in a close-knit
Christian community where we spent our time with missionary families from the
U.S. and Germany. I probably would have never had this kind of strong desire to
join the Jewish tribe, my newly embraced people, if it wasn’t for your values,
integrity and love for your community of Christians. You also made so many
sacrifices for your children’s education, and instilled in us the value of education.
I remember you used to tell us how Jews studied all of the time regardless of
their situations, and that we should study hard also. Mom, you loved classical
music so much that every morning, you played records of the greatest
violinists, Heifetz, Milstein, Szeryng, Menuin, Zukerman, Oistrakh, Kogan,
Gingold, Mintz, Auaer, Stern, Perelman and list goes on. Did you know that every
single one of them were Jews? I think you get my point.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Naomi. When I
first started this journey, I always thought Judaism would be good for you. But
I now realize that your becoming Jewish is good for the Jews, Blacks, Japanese,
and otherwise. As the Temple President Leaf Rosenblatt said, “You being Jewish
is good for everyone”! Your unique experiences and perspectives will be an
invaluable asset to all people. I know you will encounter many stares, comments
and questions from people who do not have the best of intentions, or just out
of ignorance. But your parents will always be there for you. We know a thing or
two about hardships. Besides, you now also have the Jewish people on your side.
You will be gaining strength and wisdom from all of the rabbis, from
Maimonides to Abraham Joshua Heschel to Rabbi Gelfand. You will be better than
fine. You will be awesome!</span></span></span></div>
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Meg Okurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10336646834144675828noreply@blogger.com0