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Out Of The Closet

ANNE BARGE

By Benji Rosenzweig

AMELIA CASABLANCA

CAROLINA HERRERA

met Yitz Jordan, aka Y-Love, in 2000
in Jerusalem at Ohr Sameach where
we were both studying. He was
an inspiration then and is an inspira-
tion now. I couldn't figure out why
he chose to take on a religion that so
often had me frustrated. But he loved
it; Judaism spoke to him, and it is his
truth. So he went for it.
Yitz grew up in East Baltimore, born
to an Ethiopian mother and Puerto
Rican father. He became interested in
Judaism as a 7-year-old after seeing a
commercial wishing everyone a Happy
Passover. At age 14, he started wear-
ing a kippah all the time and keeping
Shabbat. He later moved to Israel to
study and convert to Judaism.
Yitz found it difficult to study and
balance English, Modern Hebrew, bib-
lical Hebrew and Aramaic, so he and
his chavruta (study partner) started
rhyming to keep things together. From
there it was an organic evolution into a
rap/hip hop career.
Y-love albums feature his rapping in
English, Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and
some cross breeding of those

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languages. It's almost reminiscent of
growing up in my house with a grand-
father who spoke Polish, a grand-
mother who spoke Hungarian and a
grandmother who spoke French, all
of whom could speak Yiddish. I knew
a lot of curses; I just didn't know what
language I was using foul language in!
Last week Yitz spoke his truth again
to the world. He came out of the closet
in a very public way. He told Out.com ,
"I'm ready to find a husband; I'm ready
to live without fear of being outed or
the stress of keeping my whole self
from people. And I've waited too long
to do that!'
Focusing his coming out on his
personal truth is the way he does it. I
wouldn't expect anything less.
Unfortunately, we live in a world in
which this act will likely have negative
repercussions. There are people who
will speak out against him, people
who are going to say his conversion is
no longer good and who knows what
else. But I believe that the love and
support that Yitz will get from most
everyone else will far outweigh the
negative.
The Jewish community has as
many viewpoints on homosexuality
as it does on anything else.There are
rightwing conservatives, liberal leftists
and all us salt-and-pepper middle-of-
the-roaders.
I hope everyone remembers —
while they are labeling him "the black,
gay, converted Jew, ex-Chassid, hip
hop/rapper"— that he is a human
created in the image of God just like
you and me. Isn't that a simpler label?
I wish him the best in the next chap-
ter in his life. ET

Y-love and al Diwon were both in Detroit last year for

their headlining show of the Progressive Jewish Music

Showcase at the Stephen Gottlieb Music Festival. Y-love

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