#bukharian

[cottoncandytrafficcones]

Hey Jumblr,

What are some non-Ashknazi marriage traditions/rituals that y'all do? I was reading up on weddings and a lot of stuff (the bedeken, the walking around the groom) was written to be Ashkenazi tradition. I know a lot about henna, but that's basically it.

[ask-jumblr]

A few questions on my mind of late: how can Ashkenazim be better allies to shephardim and mizrahim? How can we uplift and engage respectfully without furthering the fetishization of their cultures and practices? How can we engage if we are in areas where the only formal Jewish communities are Ashkenazi ones? I see a lot of people mention ashkenormativity as a problem, but I don’t often see resources on how to fix that.

Tikkunity #11: Addressing and remedying Ashkenormativity

Mod here. Mizrahi is a “lumping in” category that, in being pretty vague, probably covers most folks who are hurt by Ashkenormativity. However, if you are a member of a non-Ashkenazi community that doesn’t fall under the term Mizrahi, please send me a message so we can figure out whether to expand this post, give you another space, etc.

Let’s use this post to elevate the voices of non-Ashkenazi Jews so that their needs can rise to the surface. However, I recognize that Ashkenazi Jews may be able to speak to practical matters (e.g. how their community has been able to make certain changes). Respondents, if your response is specific to a perspective, community, or experience, please include a relevant FOR.

Much thanks! (Todah rabah!)  !תּוֹדָה רַבָּה

[valsedelesruines]

[ladystarks]

Are you white?

I’m Central Asian. Bukharian Jew, to be specific. Ethnically and culturally I am Bukharian.

Honestly, anon, I’m not sure why this is a question you would ask. But since you did, I’m going to educate you about my people. We have a vibrant culture that has evolved over a thousand years, and is still evolving now that we are no longer living in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. We have our own language, our own food and our own customs that are both unique and an amalgymation of the world surrounding Central Asia. 

Our name comes from the former emirate of Bukhara, which was taken over and absorbed into the Soviet Union--that’s why Russian was my first language. The first record of this growing community was taken in 4 AD, which is a very long time for a community to be around. Since we were right on the Silk Road, there was a lot of cultural diffusion--we cook something called pilmeni, which we put in soup, like wontons, and plof, which is like rice pilof. One of the most unique dishes we have is called bachsh, which, to my knowledge, is completely unique to the bukharian people. 

In addition, we have unique ceremonial dress called joma, and it’s so special to us that my grandparents, when emigrating to the US, actually took it with them, despite the limited space they were allowed in their suitcases (damn Soviet Union). 

Above, my great grandparents in traditional dress on their wedding. 

We have our own language--Bukharian, which is a mix of Farsi and Tajik. Originally, we were probably a part of the Persian Jewish community, but schismed off at some point due to geo-political border changes. We play unique music, called shashmaqam, and even though I don’t love it, my grandparents go crazy for it. There aren’t many of us left in our countries of origin (either Uzbekistan or Tajikistan) because, honestly, we were a minority and they didn’t like us very much. Also, the Soviet Union wasn’t a great place to be. My family came to the US with refugee status, and barely anything more than the clothes on their backs. 

So again, anon, not quite sure why this was a question you’d ask me, but I thought I’d teach you something about a culture you probably knew didly-squat about. Please don’t go around asking people questions like that. It’s weird and invasive. 

[ask-jumblr]

looking for non-ashkenormative works (memoirs, novels, nonfiction books, television, documentaries, etc.) to help broaden my understanding of judaism and jewish experiences in other spaces. this includes works about or relating to sephardic, mizrachi, and ethiopian jews as well as other jews of color (in america and abroad). if anyone can provide some resources, i’d greatly appreciate it!

@phantomprinters is also interested in resources hilighting the experiences of Ashkenazi JOC.

[ladystarks]

Never heard of your culture before but thanks for telling us about it. I hate that there's so much history in the world that one never learns. Your great grandparents were beautiful too btw.

Aww, thank you so much! Honestly, I’m very proud of my culture and I’m always happy to tell people about it (hence me writing a short essay instead of just answering the anon’s question). And yes, it’s so sad that no one learns about Bukharian culture and history, especially since Bukhara was actually a historical empire that was taken over by Genghis Khan and actually pretty significant in Eastern history (especially as a major stop on the Silk Road). There was a great National Geographic article written a while back about us, and how only around 100 Bukharians still live in our ancestral lands, mostly to take care of the graveyards of our ancestors (since taking care of the dead is a BIG thing). 

And thank you so much! I think my great grandmother was so pretty and my great grandfather was very handsome! I have more pictures of traditional Bukharian garb, but my mom didn’t feel comfortable letting me post them (since they’re pretty recent and she doesn’t want those pictures floating around the internet?). 

This ask made my night, so thank you again!

[the-first-man-is-a-cat]

Hannah Moussaieff, a Bukharian immigrant to Ellis Island, c. 1915-1925

[exhaustedace]

The fact of my being a Bukharian Jew was kept hidden from me for over a decade. My grandparents generation came to America in the 50s, and there was none if any Bukharian community established at the time. My dads generation tried to hide from the absolute racism of the Ashkenazi community at the time by following Ashkenazi traditions. They weren’t able to learn Bukharian or pass on many traditions to my generation. The only bit of culture we were ever given access to was through food: bahksh, osh plov, and the samsas my safta always called go-gish-da. 

I want to learn more about the community and culture that I wasn’t given access to. Does anyone know of anywhere I could go to learn more?