Stay updated with breaking news from Motti hager. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Barack O. Mandela growing up in Long Beach, California. This essay is the first of a series of articles about my experiences as a black, Jewish, American, Israeli. This will be an exclusive “memoir” published on the “Times of Israel”. I was born and raised in East Long Beach, California which is considered an inner-city ghetto or “hood”. While I was a law student, I converted to both Reform and Orthodox Judaism. I then moved to Israel for nearly six years where I served in the Israel Defense Forces. After 9/11, I served in the United States Army. I have struggled to combine my African American traditions with my Jewish traditions. For guidance, I read Rebecca Walker’s “Black, White, & Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self”. In addition, I met with Ethiopian Jews to talk about their traditions, culture, and history. I wanted to understand the “black-Jewish” experience. ....