On my first day in Jerusalem, I woke up, preformed wuzu (ablution) and donned a new Shalwar Kameez that my grandmother had sent me from Pakistan. I thought to myself, “Today, I am representing my culture, religion, and family – and I will do it with pride.” As I boarded the bus for the Western […]
I met a Pakistani-Jew in Israel. This is what he taught me.
On my first day in Jerusalem, I woke up, performed wudu (ablution) and donned a new shalwar kameez that my grandmother had sent from Pakistan. I thought to myself, “Today, I am representing my culture, religion, and family – and I will do it with pride.” As I boarded the bus for the Western Wall, […]
In an act of defiance, American Jews rally for Palestinian cause
American-Jews rally for Palestine under George Washington’s statue Boston, US – In the summer of 2012, Ayelet Reiter was atop the Austrian Hospice of Jerusalem looking into the Old City. It was Ramadan and the next day was Tisha B’Av, a day that Jews like her would mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple by […]
LLF New York reconnects diaspora with its roots
Growing up in the West, Pakistan was the smell of dadi’s (grandmother) food, the sound of baba’s (father) music, and a source of constant bad news. But when the Asia Society hosted the Lahore Literary Festival this past Saturday in New York, I, like many of us born abroad, was introduced to a Pakistan that […]