My Colorful Jewish Family

AVIVA BROWN

Hi! I’m Aviva Brown, a black, Jewish wife, and mother of four biracial kids, aged 10, 8, 5, and 3 months. I’m currently writing a children’s book about our colorful Jewish family. So many adjectives, describing my life—black, Jewish, woman, mother, convert. 

I’m still becoming these things, becoming fully myself.  It’s challenging.

Addressing Representation

I began converting to Reform Judaism in 2015 and became officially Jewish in 2017.  I converted my children, too.  Our story is unusual in that married people don’t typically convert if their spouse isn’t Jewish.  My husband is not a Jew.  Also, as Jews of Color, we are a minority within a minority; most Jews we know are white.

During our conversion, I bought every Jewish kids’ book I could find.  I received books from @pjlibrary. I realized quickly that the families in these stories didn’t look like mine. 

They were white Jews of Eastern European descent, mostly, with a few Israelis, too.  Where were the black Jews? The Latinx Jews? The East Asian Jews, and Jews of every other ethnicity?

It feels like no one is telling these stories.  So, I’m telling mine. 

My 8-year-old is a questioner of all things, big and small.  He loves minute details and little-known facts, so the finer points of halacha (Jewish law) intrigue him.  A book about him practically wrote itself.  I’m in the illustration phase, with the goal of publishing “Can You Tie a Knot on Shabbat?” in the first half of 2019.

My Support System

Mama is my alter-ego, and she’s a SAHM. I’m blessed to have the support of my husband, mother, and several mom-friends.  Developing relationships with other women was difficult for me; opening myself up to people is not my strength.  I’m glad I’ve made genuine connections, though.  My life is richer, and I can now call a friend and say, “I’m having a rough day.  The baby is sick and I’m about to lose it,” knowing I’ll receive encouragement and support.  I’m happy to provide the same in return.

Constructing a Self-Defined Family Identity of Our Own

Raising four Jewish kids from scratch is both daunting and beautiful.  We lack family or cultural traditions, so we create our own. 

I want to help my children develop a Jewish identity, to nurture it, and to see it mature into adulthood. 

We talk often about Jewish values—welcoming the stranger (specifically immigration issues) and tzedakah (charity), particularly.

Parenting Shapes the Future

As kids of color, they will encounter discrimination.  However, they’re economically privileged. 

As parents, we teach that it is paramount to use our voices and social/economic power to amplify the voices of the voiceless and to empower the powerless. 

As a family, we attend social justice protests and programs and we have the kids use their own money to buy food and/or hygiene products for food pantries and homeless shelters.  It isn’t much, but it’s up to each of us to do what we can. 

We Jews are commanded to do so, and as a black, Jewish mama, I take that commandment seriously.

Please follow me on my journey to becoming a published author.  I’m on Instagram at

@aviva.brown.slpub;

Facebook as Aviva Brown, Author; and my website is

www.avivabrownbooks.com