“What is your responsibility as a Jew of color?”

As a bridge between two cultures which in many ways have very suspicious and stereotypical views of each other, we have to, in my opinion:

(a) be unwavering in our adherence to Judaism, whatever our observance level Even when this may cause conflicts among our latino friends/family. That said, when we say “no I can’t do this or that” we have to be delicate in our approach so we don’t turn people off.

(b) Stand up for our fellow Jews if we perceive a slight by one of our compadres, and likewise, if we hear an insensitive or stereotypical remark about nuestra gente latina, we have to politely but confidently set the record straight.

(c) Finally, in a general sense we are both insiders and outsiders in BOTH communities. For many Jews, we may be the only Latinos they interact with and we have to be a positive example, demonstrating that our Hispanic cultural background adds something to, not detracts from, our overall character traits. And for many Latinos, the same is true – the mandate to be a “light unto the nations” is especially incumbent upon us when we are dealing with our fellow Latinos – let them know that we don’t consider ourselves better than them, even if in many ways we are different.