#jublr

I’m a Jewish Canadian, adopted by a Venezuelan mother. My parents (though now separated) are a very Jewish woman from NYC, and a non traditional Venezuelan atheist. That’s resulted in me having a complex relationship with my cultural identity.

I was raised with relatively strong ties to my Jewish heritage. Attending Hebrew school on Sundays in elementary school, going to synagogue on the high holidays, and lighting candles for Shabbat whenever my mom would remember. But growing up in rural Canada, I’ve always felt far removed from the actual culture and community that my mom grew up with in New York. The synagogues here are small, and the Jewish communities in the cities I’ve lived in average around 200 people total (as far as I’ve observed at least). No matter how many services I attend, I’ll never feel a sense of true belonging and community like what people seem to have in Jewish dense communities like what exist on the east coast of the USA.