I’m Heidi Rabinowitz and I am so happy to be Jewish. The beautiful and varied customs, the focus on deep thought and learning, and the historical connections going back over the centuries, all bring me joy. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to synagogue librarianship and why I’ve been podcasting about Jewish children’s literature for over a decade. In fact, the 20th anniversary of The Book of Life Podcast will take place in December 2025 – stay tuned, I’m making celebratory plans!
What?
I’m thrilled to share this Jewish Joy series for Multicultural Kid Blogs with you. I’ll be bringing you Q&A’s from diverse intersectional Jewish authors, showcasing the variegated tapestry of Jewish life and books. In each interview, I’ll link back to the author’s appearance on The Book of Life Podcast for you to hear their voice and learn more about them.
Why?
In these turbulent times with antisemitism at record highs, Jewish joy is crucial. As poet Toi Derricotte says, joy is an act of resistance. Joyful books invite everyone in, so that Jewish stories can, in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, become windows as well as mirrors, bringing hope, demystifying the Jewish experience, and building empathy and understanding.
Who?
In this first Jewish Joy post, I’d like to introduce you to Ruth Behar (she/her), cultural anthropologist and Latina Jewish author of middle-grade fiction and picture books. She appeared on The Book of Life blog in 2021 writing about her novel Letters from Cuba, and on The Book of Life podcast in 2024 speaking about another novel Across So Many Seas.
All of Ruth’s books have a deep authenticity because they are so personal. Her stories are based on her own life and the lived experiences of her family members across generations and across nationalities. I’m pleased to bring you this exclusive interview for Multicultural Kid Blogs, and if you’d like to hear more from Ruth in her own voice, I invite you to click on the podcast link at the bottom of the page.
Q&A with Ruth Behar
THE BOOK OF LIFE: Ruth, please describe your Jewish identity, along with any other aspects of your identity that you’d like to share.
RUTH BEHAR: My Jewish identity is one of many crossroads. I was born in Cuba to a Jewish family. My maternal grandparents were Ashkenazi Jews from Poland and Russia. My paternal grandparents were Sephardic Jews from Turkey. All four grandparents found their way to Cuba in the 1920s and settled on the island, expecting to stay forever.
When my Ashkenazi and Sephardic parents married in Havana in 1956, their unusual union was called an “intermarriage. I was born of that mix and have always been keenly aware of my complex Jewish identity. After my family left Cuba post-revolution, I grew up in New York and became a Cuban Jewish-American, or “Juban.” as Jewish and Cuban people are called (especially in Miami where there are lots of Jubans).
TBOL: Why is it important to you to include Jewish representation in your writing?
RB: We need to expand Jewish representation in literature for young people so that we include diverse, less well-known communities. These include Jewish Latino and Sephardic communities, which is why I’m writing books that make the Jewish presence in the Spanish-speaking world visible.
TBOL: About being Jewish: what is hard, and what brings you joy?
RB: I think what’s hard about being Jewish is that others, and also fellow Jews, tend to want to make you fit into a category, when we are too complex to fit into any single box. What brings me joy is knowing my Jewishness is rooted in a range of diasporas and in the memory of ancestors who cherished their identity and passed it on to me with grace and warmth.
TBOL: What do you want the world to know about Jewish people?
RB: That we are people like any other people.
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TBOL: Please tell us about the Jewish books for kids that you’ve written.
RB: I’ve written three middle-grade novels so far. Lucky Broken Girl is based on my life and focuses on the experience of a Jewish Cuban girl who is ten and growing up in New York and finding ways to heal while confined to a body cast.
Letters from Cuba is based on my maternal grandmother’s journey from Poland to Cuba and tells the story of a Polish Jewish girl finding a sense of home in a small Cuban town.
Across So Many Seas is based on my paternal grandmother’s journey from Turkey to Cuba and examines her immigrant story in the context of the stories of three other Sephardic girls also searching for home.
I’ve also written a picture book, Tía Fortuna’s New Home, which looks at the relationship between a little girl and her great-aunt Fortuna while the two say goodbye to a beloved beach house and pack up Fortuna’s Sephardic keepsakes to take to her new home in an assisted living community.
TBOL: What other Jewish books are you excited about, and why?
RB: I am so glad to have participated in the anthology, On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories, edited by Chris Baron, Joshua S. Levy, and Naomi Milliner, and love how they approached Passover in a creative way, bringing together authors of different backgrounds and traditions who have different takes on the holiday.
Veera Hiranandani, featured in the anthology, writes beautiful historical fiction about Jewish and other intersecting identities. I especially loved her middle-grade novel, How to Find What You’re Not Looking For, and the graceful way she incorporated the Loving v. Virginia decision into the story.
I’m now reading an advance copy of Naomi Milliner’s upcoming middle-grade novel, The Trouble With Secrets. She was a wonderful editor of On All Other Nights, and I’m finding her novel moving and compelling. Naomi writes profoundly about loss and love in a Jewish family. It’s a book that’s very Jewish and very universal, and I’m so glad it will be out in 2025 for middle-grade readers of all backgrounds to enjoy.
TBOL: Ruth, thank you so much for sharing your story and your books with us!
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Heidi Rabinowitz
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Thank you for sharing! It is so important for Jews and non-Jews to see what a dynamic and diverse community we are.
Fabulous interview! So many great books to read.
Thank You for this this series. When most people consider multicultural books, they consider other minorities, but not necessarily Jews. This is a perfect forum to spread Jewish Joy to a greater readership.
I enjoyed Ruth Behar’s Across so Many Seas so much. As an Ashkenazi descendant, I learned so much about the history of the Sephardic community from that fantastic novel. I also read the Passover anthology which includes pieces from so many accomplished Jewish Children’s authors. It is a great way to get a feel for them all and choose which author’s to add to your TBR.
What a fantastic interview! I look forward to future conversations of Jewish Joy!
There are so many excellent Jewish authors writing wonderful books for kids of all ages. This blog, along with Heidi’s monthly podcast, The Book of Life, can introduce new readers to books featuring Jewish characters and themes. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy the books, blog, or podcast – these great books are for everyone! Ruth Behar’s books are a great multicultural stories.
Such a great interview and as a South Floridian, I have many Juban friends and I giggled at the reference – but it is how they refer to their Jewish Cuban identity!
This is fabulous! Thanks for sharing.
This was such a meaningful interview. I appreciate the opportunity to learn about Ruth’s Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Cuban heritage.
Thank you, Heidi and Ruth, for sharing some of the diversity of Jews around the world, but also the universal themes that all will enjoy in these marvelous books.
I can’t wait to take her books out of the library
Thank you so much for sharing “Jewish Joy!” I’m thrilled that this is the first of many more to come. Since Jewish people are only 0.18% of the world’s population and about 2% of the US population, it is so meaningful to be included. Within the population, we are even more diverse. This column will shed light on how diverse the Jewish people are and spread the joy of Jewish stories. So appreciate this interview and I look forward to more to come!
What an awesome interview! Thanks for sharing this special multicultural journey from a Cuban Sephardic voice!
THANK YOU. What the world needs now.
Thank you for this wonderful interview! The world most definitely needs more Jewish joy. I grew up in Miami with many Juban friends. I’m grateful to Ruth for shining a light on this beautiful community & culture.