Sunday Brunch: Bienvenidos a Miami: How Latinx Jews Remake the Jewish Mainstream
Arnold Hall 96 Wentworth Street, CharlestonAlmost three quarters (72%) of the population in Miami-Dade county is of Latinx/Hispanic origin. Spanish of various accents can be heard in supermarkets, schools and synagogues. Latin American immigrants from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico down to the Southern Cone have been fleeing social and economic upheaval for decades. Miami, with its close proximity to Latin America, widely spoken Spanish and commercial and job opportunities is an obvious destination for both Jewish and non-Jewish Latin American/Latinx immigrants. Miami has the largest influx of Jewish immigrants from Latin America, immigrants who have entered the community at a pivotal point when existing congregations, schools and Jewish community centers have been losing members. In this talk, Limonic will discuss how Latin American Jews, with their strong commitment to communal ties and institutions, have invigorated existing communities while forging new identities as panethnic Latinx Jews.