Jesus Makes a Short Lived Appearance in Portugal’s Playboy

read more on Guanabee

Interview on Blogadera

I was interviewed on the Latino Blog Directory site Blogaderaclick here for full interview:

Here we are with Maya Escobar. An artist and educator whose art, personality and opinions come to life by way of her blog and social media extensions.  We are thrilled to have her on to talk about her background, blogging and sharing her blogging experience with the rest of the blogadera.When did you start blogging? What prompted you to pick it up.I started blogging in 2005, at the time I was completing my degree in art education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  I was interested in connecting with other artists, activists, students and educators to share ideas and resources.What do you blog about? Why?I blog about issues that relate to the artworks I am producing (basically concepts I am thinking about). Topics include: the construction of identity, hybridity, sexuality, education, placelessness, immigration, activism, religion, and mental health.Can you give us a little bit of background on Maya Escobar?Well… it just so happens that I just posted a new “about me” to my website:I am a performance artist, Internet curator, and editor. I use the web as a platform for engaging in critical community dialogues that concern processes by which identities are socially and culturally constructed. I perform multiple identities and sample widely from online representations and existing cultural discourses. My identifications as a Latina-Jewish artist, dyslexic blogger, activist and educator are indexed by the blogs I keep, the visual and textual links I post, the books, articles, and blog posts I cite, the public comments I leave, and the groups I join.By examining and re-imagining my personal experiences, I attempt to provide others with a framework for questioning societal limitations based on gendered and racialized cultural generalizations.(if you found that about me too dull there is a post on my blog where I describe myself as an elephant)Does your blog reflect your culture? Is this intentional or just a natural byproduct?I hope that my blog reflects a culture of critical inquiry, communal dialogue, and collaboration. (this would be intentional)What is the state of the Latino Blogosphere? Do you see it growing? Any Examples?I see more and more Latina and Latino bloggers every day.  But what I find most exciting is when those bloggers are young people and they are blogging with a positive message.  A wonderful example that I have found is MyLatinitas.com the social networking platform hosted by Latinitas Magazine. Here young Latinas are actively sharing their thoughts on politics, culture, education, and family.You work alot with videos…do you consider yourself a vlogger? If so, can you define that for us!hmm… I am not really sure if I consider myself to be a vlogger.  When I think of a vlogger, I think of a person who makes videos that contain similar content to content that would be included in a blog post (such as current events, politics, or personal observations.) Maybe, I am a part time vloggerAny advice for Latinos who want to start blogging?I think it is important to get a sense of why it is that you want to blog, what will your blog say about you, and how you envision your blog interacting with your personal and professional life.Write about issues that you are passionate about, in a way that other people can relate to.  Use the Internet for all it can do- link between your own posts and link to posts written by others.  Read other people’s blogs and comment!  If you want people to be interested in the things you are writing about know what they are writing about!And most importantly when you can, blog in Spanish!What blogs do you follow or subscribe to? Favorites?I just started reading VivirLatino which led me to the awesome blog of La Mamita Mala. I have been following Latina Lista for sometime, Rio Yañez and his buddy Maya Chinchilla, Sergio Antonio, Jorge Linares…… the list just keeps on growing…What are you favorite social media sites and how do you use these tools in your day-to-day?At this point twitter, youtube, flickr and wordpress are the sites that I most commonly use. My activity on all of theses sites crosses over.  For example, I might write a post on my blog, that will include a youtube video and images I posted onto flickr.  Then I send a tweet that includes either a segment of my blog post, an image from the post, or some of the tag words describing the post.Do you divide social media by purpose, friends, professional v. personal, etc.?Not really, for the most part my personal life is my professional life.What’s next for Maya? What do we have to look forward to from you?I am working with my father on developing my first performance piece entirely in Spanish. We are using a recording of an interview my mother conducted with my abuelita in 1985, as source material for the monologue I will be performing recounting her experiences, but as myself- two generations removed……I am also planning a piece with fellow artist and blogger Rio Yañez surrounding the Wise Latina phenomenon.  I don’’t want to give too many details away, but I can promise there is going to be a Top 10 list![more]check out other Blogadera interviews with Carrie Fergerson and Jo Ann Hernandez

Maya Escobar isn't even Jewish

UPDATE: PHOTOS

On an almost daily basis, I receive emails from people asking if I am in fact actually Jewish. Although I do find it somewhat bizarre that they find satisfaction in my acknowledgment of what I have already stated numerous times, I usually respond. Come to think of it, the occasions where I have been accepted as a Jew (without further questioning) have been few and far between.

• “ No you can’t be Jewish you are Hispanic”
• “You don’t look Jewish”
• “Escobar… is that a Sephardic name?”

Recently I discovered that without our knowledge, the validity of my own and my brother Gonzalo’s Jewishness has come into question (to the point where documentation has been requested) from people that we are now very close with.Below are some of the examples of comments (not emails, I do not share the content of emails without permission) from youtube:

roundedwhtcollar Am I the only one who thinks this reprobate Turd is NOT in fact a Jew? Rafaelpicc But is her las name jewish? or converted? ReptorY her last name isnt jewish. xruchy you are not jewish i guess... tus videos= cero aporte raquelita40 she's half Jewish/ half Guatemalan.

nakedjanet marked as spam i am also suspicious. for one thing, escobar is not a typical Jewish name. For another, Jewish girls are usually a whole lot smarter, and have a whole lot more substance, than this girl has

(from chaptzem blogspot) There is no way she is Jewish- there may be a small chance her family are anusim or something.But what gets even more bizarre is that interspersed with in those comments are horrible anti-semitic statements:

johnnycastle86xx all the jews have to die, stupid jewish puta de mierda. Que mierda que Hitler no mato a tu familia, asi tu no hubieras nacido. muerte a los judios y muerte a israel. mocrostyle3600 AnotherJewish nasty bitchmrrimfire She's an ugly cockroachfilet there's a nice Jewishcrew- club... Its re-open and called Auschwitz. the drinks are on the house!!! but only for jewish people roshanpinto13 i want to put you in a concentration camp bitch if your people want israel so bad why don’t you go there and rid the world from your hideous jewish ways

So in light of my sarcasric sense of humor I entitled this post : Maya Escobar isn’t even Jewish I wonder what will come of that statement... From Judaism 101: Who Is a Jew?

First, traditional Judaism maintains that a person is a Jew if his mother is a Jew, regardless of who his father is. The liberal movements, on the other hand, consider a person to be Jewish if either of his parents was Jewish and the child was raised Jewish. Thus, if the child of a Jewish father and a Christian mother is raised Jewish, the child is a Jew according to the Reform movement, but not according to the Orthodox movement. On the other hand, if the child of a Christian father and a Jewish mother is not raised Jewish, the child is a Jew according to the Orthodox movement, but not according to the Reform movement! The matter becomes even more complicated, because the status of that children's children also comes into question.

In my case my mother is Jewish and my father is not. Yet it is my father that pushed me to go to Hebrew school until I was 16. Rain or shine my parents have been attending Shabbat services at JRC for almost 20 years. I remember being so mad as a child that my friends got to go out on Friday nights, and I was stuck with my family not even allowed to watch TV when we got home from services. Vickie Korey left the nicest comment on my Rabbi Brant Rosen’s blog:

I remember Maya at Friday night services at JRC, sometimes listening intently, sometimes reading, but always being present. When one of the children of our extended spiritual family grows to be such a fine, thoughtful and accomplished young woman we are all proud. Gonzolo and Tina have worked hard to set a strong foundation for Maya and I am so pleased for her and her family.

A few months ago I met with my Rabbi to discuss my (art) work. During our discussion I mentioned to him how my father is feeling really nervous about me having an orthodox wedding where he will not be included in the ceremony. Brant said something to me that really touched my heart. Your father is the essence of what a Jew is, he is a stranger in a strange land. I agree with him whole-heartedly, and if you ask most JRC members I am sure they would agree as well. However that does not change the fact that he is not considered to be Jewish by our neighbors, and even if he converted, to them it would not be halakhic unless he went through orthodox conversion. So who is a Jew? Who determines this?As I stated in a previous post I will be working as the art director this summer for Camp JRF. I am in the process of creating this summer’s curriculum that will be geared towards answering these very questions and challenging notions of Jewish Identity. Below is a very rough sketch of my plan…. (Please let me know if you have any suggestions, or would be interested in contributing any resources) The Changing Face of Jewish Identity: an exploration of self and what it means to be a Jew in our contemporary societyTo introduce the concept of a changing Jewish Identity will discuss the following:

• How do we define ourselves/ how do others define us?
• Who is a Jew?
• Can someone be more or less Jewish/ who decides this?
• What is our role in society?
• What characteristics make up a Jew?

Mediums Mixed media sculpture Art Exhibitions The Jewish Identity Project Too Jewish Challenging Tradition Identities Written Works by Ilan Stavans Achy Obejas Rebecca Walker Campers will produce mixed media sculptures that reflect their perception of what it means to be a JewPre- Activities:

• We will begin as an ice breaker/ intro to project identifying the characteristics that make up Jews.
• Followed by a discussion on contemporary representations of Jews in Popular culture

Project Campers working in groups of 3-4 will have the option of creating either abstract or representational mixed media sculptures that to them represent Jewish identity. Prior to the construction of their piece students will need to create a (flexible) proposal that outlines their piece.

• Will it be site specific (interact with a certain location)?
• What form will it take?
• Will it have a function?
• What materials will be used based on the above?

If they end up going with more representational sculptures I thought it would be really cool to photograph the sculptures and to place them in various Jewish settings and non-Jewish settings (baseball stadium, temple, Shabbat dinner, work, school....)

Shomer Negiah Panties

SHOMER NEGIAH PANTIES NOW AVAILABLE ON ShomerNegiahPanties.comShomer Negiah is a concept in Jewish law halacha that prohibits any degree of physical contact with, or touching of, a member of the opposite sex, except for one's spouse and immediate family. Shomer means “guards”, but due to its common use in phrases relating to religious practice, it has come to mean: “adhere to” as well. Negiah is the Hebrew word for “touch”, and thus Shomer Negiah is a term used to describe one who “guards the touch” or simply “adheres to restrictions of touch”. Although the feminine form of the term is technically Shomeret Negiah, it is almost always used in the masculine, even when in reference to women. Shomer Negiah Panties allow a woman to abide by the halacha, but still be individual and sexy at the same time.post by dovbear on the panties recieved these comments

my pink sexy low cut bras say vlo sasuru in micro print ... lolfrumbabe | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 2:00 pm

why don't you ASK her, DB? Or would that be un-tznius (as opposed to, say, visiting her blog, looking at her panties, and then tattling on your own blog...) :)Tzipporah | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 2:34 pm

this is much more tzanuah.Trust me. I'm a man :)DovBear | 02.22.07 - 2:44 pm

"Shomer Negiah Panties," essentially ordinary cotton undies, I'm going to run over to CafePress and put some "Shomer Negiah Thongs" up for sale.Al Gore | 02.22.07 - 3:07 pm |

What about the fringes? Women unite for equality! We want fringes on our panties!Anonymous | 02.22.07 - 3:13 pm

How about upgrading to a tattoo strategically placed on one's behind? This could be a real trend on the upper west side!Anna Nicole | 02.22.07 - 3:18 pm |

How about upgrading to a tattoo strategically placed on one's behind? This could be a real trend on the upper west side!

Totally unecc. In Willy. they've found the combination of bald heads and really thick stockings serve the same purpose.DovBear | 02.22.07 - 3:27 pm |

that's a weird fetish. :)Tzipporah | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 3:31 pm |

Not a fetish. A form of birth control.Anon | 02.22.07 - 3:39 pm |

I think it's just for giggles. I could imagine SN girls giving each other these panties as a joke... the number of SN guys who'll ever see them on a girl is probably tiny.quietann | 02.22.07 - 4:10 pm | 

Granny panties are by definition shomer negiah.--------

Perhaps what the world REALLY needs are burqas with playboy bunnies or 'party-babe' stencilled across the front.The Back of the Hill | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 4:18 pm |

DB:Been done before. Look, don't you think this makes the statement just a bit more...... pointed? http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com...torture/ 31.html

Anon:"A form of birth control"

A form of birth control??? Wow, I'd hate to know what you consider birth-out-of-control, then.Baal Devarim | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 4:33 pm |

that's hot....ThePervert | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 4:52 pm |

I just don't see it.Then why bother giving old Maya and her incredibly unfunny, juvenile and tasteless underwear any more free publicity? What motivates you to post what you do really mystifies.Chaim G. | 02.22.07 - 5:13 pm |

Oooh, these could be useful for the frum girl who secretly moonlights as a stripper. Warning, guys -- all lookie, no touchie.GoldaLeah | 02.22.07 - 5:19 pm |

the frum girl who secretly moonlights as a stripper. A match truly made in hell as her audience would no doubt comprise frum boys who secretly "moonlight" as patrons of "gentlemens" clubsChaim G. | 02.22.07 - 5:28 pm |

Kinda like the "Sanitized for your protection" ribbons on motel toilets.Psycho Toddler | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 5:54 pm |

A match truly made in hell as her audience would no doubt comprise frum boys who secretly "moonlight" as patrons of "gentlemens" clubs...I now have this mental image of bearded young gentlemen wearing ill-fitting 'gentile' clothes yelling "remove your sheitel, remove your sheitel". Thank you. It will take me a while to get over this trauma.The Back of the Hill | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 6:14 pm |

BOTHDain ershtoinung iz gornit antkegen der ershtoinung fun zaira vaiber If only such occurences were as humurous and harmless as the "sleeveless bar" scene that you conjured.Chaim G. | 02.22.07 - 6:20 pm |

I can see them being a present for a friend too--or a joke for one's husband.I don't see them having any halachic purpose, though. Unless there's a mitzvah to wear tacky panties that I somehow missed.balabusta in blue jeans | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 6:27 pm |

I'm married, and I would wear them. I think they're hilarious. But I'd be too scared to give them to anyone I know--they might take it the wrong way.Rivka | 02.22.07 - 8:39 pm |

Pardon me for the overshare, but I have a pair of panties that say "Girls know best" on the front. And there are times that they are appropriate for the situation, like maybe when I need a reminder that girls really do know best :) (I am almost 43, so hardly a girl, but the sentiment is the same.)Similarly, I could see a shomer negiah young woman wearing these panties on a date. Just knowing what her panties say might help her keep her skirt on!quietann | 02.22.07 - 10:21 pm |

at the mall any day now, i'm expecting to see "Shomer Negiah" stenciled on the butt of some babes yoga pants...eliyahu | Homepage | 02.22.07 - 11:15 pm |

I am truly mystified that this post existsreality | 02.23.07 - 7:38 am |

It's obviously a gag. What's the big deal? Girls that are really shomer are never going to wear them with any expectation that a guy will see them, and those that aren't will wear them for their ironic humor.nicejewishguy | Homepage | 02.23.07 - 11:15 am |

How about upgrading to a tattoo strategically placed on one's behind?Also know as a "Tramp Stamp."Al Gore | 02.23.07 - 12:26 pm |

It should also say "shomer negiah" in braille in case it's dark in the room when being read.Should also say it in Hebrew or Yiddish, so the message is clear to all chareidim as well.B.T.A. | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 1:54 pm |

Ah, should have looked at her site first. DB, now you're linking to tushies?! What a shonda. I go away for a few weeks...In any event, perhaps she could tatoo it on the small of her back, then could wear any panties she likes? Just a thought.B.T.A. | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 1:55 pm |

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::