Culture Shock

We are both Jewish. I am Ashkenazi. He is Persian. I like Noodle Kugal and he likes Chormeh Sabzi. I will not eat rice during Passover whereas he does. I kick my legs in the air and dance in a circle. He rolls his tongue at the top of his mouth while motioning his hands in a rhythmic way. Even with some of these cultural differences, we are both equal in our observance in keeping the Sabbath and kashut.

I have never dated someone who is of Sephardic origin, although I have friends and cousins whom are Iraqi, Moroccan, etc. Many questions have arisen since dating R, such as, can we intertwine our cultures? Should I secretly learn Farsi to understand what his family is saying about me?

Through my research I discovered that the biggest difference between Ashkenazi and Persian culture is family closeness. Both of our families live within a thirty-mile radius; however, he visits his family every weekend. There isn’t a question whether he is going to be there. I, on the other hand see my family maybe once a month. I have a choice.

In my opinion, some of the interesting features of intergrading the Ashkenazi and Persian culture are the language and the food. For example, my cousin who married into an Iraqi family some forty years ago, has four children. They were raised with both the Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions. My cousins grew up speaking Yiddish, Hebrew and Arabic. When my female cousin got married, she had a traditional Sephardic wedding with a henna ceremony as well as the ceremony where the bride and groom circle each other and break the glass.
Part of being in a relationship is learning about each other’s cultures. I look forward to eating Baba Ganush and speaking Farsi as well as teaching R to like Gefilta Fish.

It is with some remorse that I tell you that my time has come to end writing the singles column. It is not because I am in a relationship, but exciting events are happening in my life. I am graduating Northeastern University in August with a Masters of Science in Leadership. I am also privileged to attend the Diplomatic Leadership Seminar through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem this summer. Thank you to the readers of the Jewish Advocate for your great ideas and feedback. Hopefully, one day my picture will be in the celebration section of the Jewish Advocate. Shalom my friends and best of luck to you finding the perfect date!