Marcie Maxfield writes as a humorous Jewish feminist tackling the intersections of — and clashes between — different aspects of her identity as a Jewish American woman during this difficult political time.
Maxfield describes herself as an unloved child, an afterthought, who was wanted by her mother and ignored by her father. Some of her parents’ marital strife focused on her, and she felt “othered” by her family. While her brother had a charmed position in the family, she was just “another mouth to feed.” She compares her awkward status within her own family to that of Jews in the vast world who are often identified as privileged whites by other minorities and as not-quite-white by old-money conservatives. She calls out ignorance of the fact that the Jewish population is represented by all colors and cultures, particularly when she discusses the founders of the Women’s March in Washington and how its Jewish activists were rejected from leadership. She also underscores her concerns about the threat of women’s rights being dismantled by the current presidency and US administration.
Maxfield’s marriage provoked further reflection about her identity. Initially, Maxfield thought that her maiden name, Blumberg, identified her as “too Jew‑y”; taking on her husband’s last name seemed like a way to deflect judgement by non-Jews and ensure that she wouldn’t stand out in a crowd as different. However, her Jewish identity took on more meaning when she herself became a parent. She now considers reinstating her maiden name.
Maxfield defends her right to celebrate and host Christmas as an American while also rejecting the idea of her in-laws’ Christian minister joining a rabbi to officiate her wedding. She has not yet been to Israel due to her life’s circumstances and the dangers of wartime, but she acknowledges the value of repeating the mantra “Next year in Jerusalem” at the Passover seder. Maxfield believes in Israel as a homeland for Jews and describes Jews and Palestinians as indigenous peoples of the land. She discusses the connection between Judaism and Zionism, and demonstrates that automatically pegging American Jews (who cannot vote in Israel’s elections or make decisions regarding its policy) as Zionists is just another antisemitic trope.
Maxfield’s anecdotes flow and may be very relatable for those who are aware of or have experienced the feeling of being pinholed as “typical” American Jewish women — when in fact Jewish women are as diverse as women are worldwide.
Miriam Bradman Abrahams, mom, grandmom, avid reader, sometime writer, born in Havana, raised in Brooklyn, residing in Long Beach on Long Island. Longtime former One Region One Book chair and JBC liaison for Nassau Hadassah, currently presenting Incident at San Miguel with author AJ Sidransky who wrote the historical fiction based on her Cuban Jewish refugee family’s experiences during the revolution. Fluent in Spanish and Hebrew, certified hatha yoga instructor.
