VOCES by Jewtina y Co.

Jessica Goodman is a seasoned clinical social worker with a wealth of experience in private practice. Throughout her career, Jessica has empowered individuals to reshape their life stories across diverse environments, including the foster care system, educational institutions, residential settings, community mental health clinics, and charitable organizations.Tune in to discover the invaluable insights Jessica shares on the lessons vital for all adults raising multicultural children and the essential role every adult plays in nurturing a home environment filled with cultural curiosity, appreciation, and learning.

Meet Azucena “Azu” Uribe! Azu is a junior in high school that was born and raised in Berkeley, California, like her parents. Raised in a multicultural home, their mom is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and their father is of Mexican descent. Azu loves dancing, writing poetry, and spending time in nature and with people they love. They have been surrounded by music their whole life and are currently learning drums and guitar. Azu has been a part of Jewish Youth for Community Action (JYCA) and Jews Against Marginalization (JAM) for over 2 years, and has also worked at Olamim, a Latin-Jewish family program in the East Bay, since their freshman year. They are passionate about social and environmental justice for all and helping to heal/help this world in any way that they can. Tune into her story and learn about the ways in which she navigates her life at the crossroads of her rich Mexican-Jewish identity. 

Meet the Isaac and Vivi from the Santana-Zones Family! This year, Isaac and Vivi are celebrating 20 years as a couple.  Isaac identifies as being Jewish with mixed Sephardic and Ashkenazi heritage and Vivi as Chicana and child and grandchild of immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico. From the first moments of getting to know each other, their families and cultural/ethnic identities have been at the center of their bonding–with both of them holding a genuine interest to support the other in holding onto that connection. Tune in to meet this dynamic couple and learn how their love story is an active verb against assimilation. This episode is a proud partnership between Jewtina y Co. and Olamim. 

Bienvenidos and Welcome to the fourth season of the VOCES podcast, my name is Analucía Lopezrevoredo and I am your host.  It's been a year since the third season of our podcast concluded, and I want to take a moment to reintroduce you to Podcast, and share what you can expect this season. 

Mackenzie Martínez is a proud "Jexican" (Jewish-Mexican) and alumna of Elon University in North Carolina. While at Elon, Mackenzie's wrote her undergraduate thesis “Rituals of Womanhood,” and explored the connections, differences, and cultural implications of Bat Mitzvahs and Quinceañeras. After graduating with her degree in Anthropology and Spanish, Mackenzie moved to San Diego to serve as a fellow for Avodah the Jewish Service Corps. While at Avodah, she began working with Al Otro Lado, an organization that provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants at the US Mexico border, through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice. Through this experience, Mackenzie, realized her passion for supporting immigrants. Today, she works with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to support asylees and survivors of trafficking.Join us for a special conversation that explores coming of age rituals, finding (parts of) yourself in college and using your privilege to serve others.Also mentioned in this podcast:Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola EstésEl Centro at Elon UniversityAvodah, the Jewish Service CorpsAl Otro Lado

Pablo Duek was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2001, he embarked on a month long trip of the United States, and found himself extending his visit to a move of 20 years. At 16 he discovered the world of cantorial hazzanut. Today, his passion and love for music has led him to facilitate over 1,000 life cycles in Jewish communities around the world. Most recently Pablo took a leap of faith and left his day job as a congregation cantor to become "The Rockin' Cantor"... a persona that allows him to bring rock and roll to every Jewish experience. Also mentioned in this podcast:The Rockin' CantorYehuda Glantz's rendition of Adon Olam

Kiyomi Kowalski is a mom, a Marine Corps veteran, a lawyer, and a social justice advocate. Kiyomi's social justice work is centered on creating more inclusive spaces for Jewish people of all backgrounds as well as eradicating racism and antisemitism. In 2021, Kiyomi co-founded Jewbian Princess, a Black, Jewish women-led organization to deliver corporate-level diversity and inclusion education to Jewish organizations with a Jewish lens. Tune in to hear Kiyomi's perspectives on what it takes to confront racism and anti-semitism without losing your joy. Also mentioned in this epsiode:Mocha MomJewbian PrincessProject Shema

Harry López is a personal and professional success coach and entrepreneur. A native of Miami, Florida with Jewish and Nicaraguan roots, he writes and speaks frequently on issues of personal and professional change, happiness, health and inspiration, and the topic of mindful living and conscious business. The founder of Launch Latinx, Harry helps talented, ambitious Latinos leaders overcome their greatest fears and create the life they have always imagined. Tune in to hear Harry's story's of how reconnecting to Judaism changed his life and opened him up to various forms of transformation.Also mentioned in this episode:Launch LatinxREALITY a Schusterman Initiative 

Dr. Sara Nell Kanoe Vogel… A native of the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Sara is a dynamic, trauma-informed educator, who is focused on creating a world where women understand their potential, value, power, and worth. A  proud woman of many of cultures, Sara calls on her Hawaiian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Portuguese and Jewish heritages to lead her in her work. Tune in for a conversation about her journey to owning the many parts that make her who she is. For more on Sara, follow her at Ladybits and Leadership. Also mentioned in this podcast: Ladybits and Leadership

Mariely Luengo was raised in a Cuban Sephardi family in Puerto Rico. She moved to the United States to partake in Georgetown University's International Diplomacy masters program. She began her career in development with the Goldsmith Family Fund, and since moving to Ohio, she co-founded The West Tribe, a nonprofit that serves and assists the Jewish community on the west side of Cleveland. Mariely is a sought after nonprofit strategic consultant, specializing in urban research, development and comprehensive cultural marketing. She is the Board Chair of the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, is an active volunteer at the Cleveland Clinic-- which specializes in NICU babies and pediatric care-- and most recently, Mariely joined CNN en Español as a guest panelist and cultural commentator for Art and Culture in the Latinx community.

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman is the first Chilean-born woman to be ordained to the rabbinate. The daughter of Ángel Kreiman-Brill, Chief Rabbi of Chile, Rav Claudia grew up in Santiago under the repressive environment of a dictatorship, inspiring her vision for social justice from a young age. After her graduation from high school, she moved to Argentina and there she began to engage deeply with Judaism, both as a learner and as a teacher. The death of her mother and 84 others in a 1994 terrorist attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) bombing in Buenos Aires, led her to honor her mother's legacy. She moved to Israel in 1996, made Aliyah, studied at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and was ordained in Jerusalem in 2002 with a firm commitment to Social Justice and Torah. Today, as the first woman Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, Rav Claudia continues to inspire and energize her community through Joyful Prayer, and dynamic and purposeful leadership. Tune in to hear Rabbi Claudia's journey from dictatorship to liberation. 

Dr. Bianca González-Lesser (they/elle) has spent the last decade centering equity, diversity, and anti-racist praxis in their life and community. A critical sociologist, Bianca recently pivoted their work to the Jewish non-profit sector, where they serve as the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice at Hillel International. A proud Queer Puerto Rican Jew of Color, Bianca is passionate about equitable spaces that center belonging for all. Tune in to listen to Bianca speak about their experience growing up and living life at the margins of society. 

Nate Looney is the CEO and Owner of Westside Urban Gardens, an urban agricultural company based in Los Angeles, CA. Nate is also Avodah's Manager of Racial Justice Initiatives, leading diversity strategies at Avodah with a focus on Jews of Color.  In addition to being a community organizer, entrepreneur, urban farmer, Nate is an Army Veteran-- having joined the US Army National Guard in 2003. Tune in to learn about this Panamanian-American's return to the land in search of regeneration and ancestral healing. 

Alexandra Corwin is native Chicagoan rooted in her Jewish, Ashkenazi, Peruvian, and Quechua heritages. A graduate of DePaul University and Harvard University's graduate school of education, where she also received the selective Urban Scholars Award, Alexandra is a former Avodah Justice Fellow, JewV'Nation Fellow, Moishe House resident, 7th and 9th grade teacher, instructor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and Teach for America director. Today, Alexandra is the President of Continued Learning Group LLC where she leads diversity, equity and inclusion audits for nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Tune in to hear Alexandra's experience with reclaiming her Ashkenazi and Quechua heritages, and how her grandmothers--her abuelita and bubbe--taught her to love without borders. 

Andrés Spokoiny is the President & CEO of the Jewish Funders Network--an organization that works with Jewish funders, at the individual and collective levels, to improve the quality of their giving and maximize their impact as they make the change they want to see in the world. A long-time Jewish community professional, Andrés is originally from Argentina and has lived in different parts of the world working to restore and renew sustainable Jewish communities.  Tune in to hear our conversation about quiet leadership, how Jewish communities differ around the world, and the future of funding through a democratization lens. 

Hannah Chonkan-Urow is a Chinese, Costa Rican, Ashkenazi Jew of color. She was raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and after 4 years in Minnesota, she returned to the Windy City to begin her career as a math teacher. A woman with a strong multicultural identity, Hannah reveals how the Yiddish value of Doikayt (hereness) has taught her--and the generations before her--the importance of finding home in the "here."

Meyer Grunberg was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Miami, FL at the age of 7 with his family. Meyer is the co-founder of  the instagram page "On This Day in Jewish History" and the podcast "Two Tall Jews," with his friend Isaac Simon, with the goal of documenting a 'daily dose of Jewish history' that sheds light and context to the full and rich history that is the Jewish story. Meyer is a storyteller, a history fanatic (particularly the Jewish parts), is deeply connected to Jewish spirituality, and a person committed to making this world a better place.

Imani Romney-Rosa Chapman is the founder of imani strategies, llc, and has more than 25 years of experience developing curriculum, organizing, and educating for social justice. Whatever the modality, Imani co-creates brave and inclusive environments for learning, growth and justice.  Tune in to to episode of 3 of the VOCES Podcast to learn more about Imani's journey with her Latine identity development and to hear her thoughts on what it will take from Jews of Color (JOC) to strengthen the JOC community for future generations. 

Jon Cohen is a Mexican-American, South Florida native who works as the Director of Community Mobilization for Keshet, and organization dedicated to working for the full inclusion of all LGBTQ Jews and their families in Jewish life. By merging his dedication to community building with his personal mission for LGBTQ rights and representation, he organizes diverse communities for political action through an intersectional Jewish lens. Learn more about his work and how his upbringing in multicultural family and community shaped his vision for inclusion. 

Adela Cojab Moadeb is a Mexican-Syrian-Lebanese-American Jewish activist, published author, and JD candidate at Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. In 2019, Adela filed a Title VI complaint with the Office of Civil Rights against NYU for failing to protect the Jewish community from consistent harassment. Her case prompted the Executive Order to include Jewish Students in Title VI protections and ended in the first Title VI settlement openly addressing anti-Semitism as a form of discrimination. Listen to Adela's journey in becoming a student activist and how her Latin-Jewish family and culture grounds her. 

In this bonus episode of the VOCES podcast, we explore with Dr. Mijal Bitton the meaning of Mizrahi and Sephardic, and the importance of giving people the autonomy and respect to self-identify with their preferred ethnic and racial terms.  Dr. Bitton also shares her insight into her family's experience of living as Sephardic Jews in Latin America and what it means to be a trailblazing feminist within an observant community. Click here to access Dr. Bitton's articles.

Born Edgar Ibañez in Bogotá, Colombia, Dr. David McCarty-Caplan was adopted and raised by American parents in the United States. In this emotional episode, we learn what it's like to navigate life--and Jewish and Latin identity--as a transracial adoptee.  Full of soul, David's story explores loss, belonging, self-discovery and resiliency in relation to the trauma of family separation and adoption. 

This week we learn from Dr. Dalia Wassner, a proud Mexican-American who was the first woman in her family to go to college, and who successfully combined her academic passion for gender studies, Jewish history, and Latin American studies to design what is now known as the Hadassah Brandeis Institute Project on Latin American Jewish & Gender Studies at Brandeis University. In this episode, Dalia talks about her story growing up in both Mexico and the United States, the power of Latino/x mentorship, and the importance of bridging the academic community to the world. 

In this episode of the VOCES podcast, Venezuelan-born content creator and food blogger (@jewtinaeats), Orly Margulis, details her experience of growing up in her beloved Caracas, and what it means to not be able to return to the place her heart calls home. Now living in Tel Aviv, Israel (by way of Philly, USA), Orly gives us an inside look on the virtues of walking this world with curly hair, a strong accent and insatiable hunger. 

Maia Ferdman is an Argentinian-American who grew up in San Diego, California, where dancing salsa at b'nai-mitzvahs and discussing diversity at the dinner table was the norm. An intra and intergroup relations specialist, Maia is passionate about interfaith work, dialogue across difference, and supporting people in exploring the complexities of their own identity. In this podcast, Maia explores what it means to live life as woman who's cultural markers aren't always visibly recognized by those around and how her experience has led her to elevate the textures of intersectionality. 

From the trenches to the coasts and everywhere in between, Eddie Chavez Calderon fights for a progressive movement that works towards a more inclusive, diverse America. A DACA recipient and community organizer, Eddie is a tireless advocate for immigration reform, LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusion, woman's rights, economic justice, workers' rights, citizenship and civic engagement, voter equality, and much more in his home state of Arizona. In this episode we explore what it means to stay grounded as an undocumented American, in a time in which one's future is at the hands of others. 

An anti-racist activist, educator and researcher, Analucía Lopezrevoredo is the Founder and Executive Director of Jewtina y Co., and organization dedicated to giving Jewish-Latino/xs (Jewtinos) the opportunity to celebrate and explore their multicultural identity, connect to other Jewtinos around the world, and widen their understanding of social issues affecting the larger Jewish and Latino/x communities. In this podcast, she shares a chapter of her story, the power of dreams, and how the Jewtina y Co. VOCES storytelling project came to life as a means for which to engage the Jewish-Latino/x community to be collective historians of our  lived experience. 

This episode of the VOCES podcast features Kimberly "Kimmy" Dueñas, a California native with a global spirit. A biracial woman, Kimmy details her complicated journey with owning her Latinidad, as a means to awaken and love her whole self. A bakers daughter, she draws tasty comparisons between her identity and challah.