I've never met, ever met a Japanese Jew. Maybe this is why writing about it. It’s almost like a shtick. Like it’s not something like anybody else is [doing], I'm realizing it. If I google and look what other people are writing, there's no one writing about it. And just the fact that it sounds so strange. I think people are curious about it. Besides my own family, my own siblings I've never met a Japanese Jew in my life. I know they're out there but maybe they're just too embarrassed to admit it? I don't know. But I'm sure they're out there. In all the articles I've written and get a lot of comments on my pieces. No one's ever said, "I'm also a Japanese Jew." I have had people that say, Japanese say, "I just married a Jewish man and we don't have children yet, and your articles helped me look at it like we're not so nervous because it’s funny and it could be interesting." I've gotten letters like that.
Date: April 4, 2013
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Patricia Wakida
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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