I've Never Written About It

But I think about it a lot, especially since Oct. 7 (part 1 of many)

If you’d have met me any time before I turned 22 and asked if I were Jewish (which you undoubtedly would have, given my experience of having been asked no less than one million times) I would have told you no. You would have walked away unsatisfied and unconvinced.

Last name Rosen? Jewy features? I think the dad is from New York? How is this bitch not Jewish????

The thing is, you would have been right. I was and am Jewish. But I didn’t know because my dad told me I wasn’t and I believed him. As he repeatedly told me, he would never lie to his children.

But it never really made sense, to be honest.

In the “probably Jewish” pile:

Last name Rosen, I look Jewish, my dad loves delicatessen food, my mother’s mother came over from Vienna right before the war and the rest of her family died in the camps (ding ding ding!), extended relatives referred to themselves once as Jewish, everyone I met insisted I was Jewish and began glitching when I said I wasn’t, a medallion I found from a relative that was inscribed with the name of a Jewish hospital (I don’t mean it was called something that sounded Jewish, I mean it was called something like “Blah blah Jewish Hospital”), finding a copy of a Kabbalah that belonged to my great grandfather

In the “not Jewish” pile:

my father said we weren’t, there was a famous Nazi whose last name was Rosenberg my father repeatedly reminded me, parents never celebrated Hanukkah growing up (Hanukkah versus Christmas being the main difference between Jews and Gentiles to most children.) (Also: Christmas rules! I had a vested interest in hanging on to it.)

I found out the truth when my mom, sister and I were walking on Balboa Island shortly after I graduated college. As had happened so many times before, I began to get that gnawing feeling that things weren’t adding up again.

“Can you remind me again how it is that our last name is Rosen, we look Jewish, your family died in the holocaust, but we aren’t Jewish?

I was expecting to hear the same litany of inadequate answers I’d heard a zillion times: no one ever demanded to know if we were Jewish until we moved to OC, many people who weren’t Jewish were killed in the holocaust, have you heard of Alfred Rosenberg?

Instead she got quiet and then said something I can’t forget: “You’ll have to ask your father.”

TO BE CONTINUED!

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With the holidays coming up, allow me to remind you that you can give someone the gift of me! My book has been rereleased with new material and so far everyone loves it. I’ve been awarded six Pulitzers and two Emmys. Also the Pushcart Prize! And a Caldecott! Get it here.

I’ve been collating and curating! My podcast guests continue to recommend amazing things in my new Podcast Palz Product Picks segment. Last week they only recommended books and shows because they are refined consumers of culture while I, a distracted nincompoop, recommended a serum.

And then here is a definitive evolving list of Alison-approved links! It’s THIRSTY.

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Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend APPLE SPOTIFY

Childish with Greg Fitzsimmons: APPLE SPOTIFY

5th Anniversary edition of my book! (Just released)

Alison and Tod: After Hours

My Patreon (new Friend Zone is up where I go behind-the-scenes to tell you all the gossip about the last 9 episodes, also recent eps with Jenna Kim Jones, Renee Colvert, Daniel Quantz and Owen are up)

Justin Martindale on ARIYNBF video

My New Merch Store

New skincare/makeup/haircare storefront

Products I Recommend (updated)

Products Guests Recommend

My Linktree

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