My Experience with the Jewish Community of Los Angeles
Enrique Sanchez
February 19, 2021 - Jewish Year 5781
My name is Enrique Manuel Sanchez Belfort Bennet, my Hebrew Name is Yaacob Ben Yosef, I Am Puerto Rican/Guatemalan of Sephardic Jewish Heritage, Like many Hispanic Jews I didn't grow up in an Observant home, I was circumcised on the eighth day and I did learn the Bible and the Commandments as a child I never went to Synagogue nor did I live near a Jewish Community. I didn't get exposed to a Jewish Community or Jewish People until I was in my College years, when I moved back to California in 2010 I was looking for a sense of community a sense of belonging.
I got acquittanced through a Conservative/Masorti Synagogue where I was a part of for two years and then I moved out of the area to another suburb where there was no community but there was one Synagogue which was Reform I was there for a year but I didn't feel there was any spirituality it was more of a Country Club for rich people so I left. I became a Baal Teshuvah and became an "Observant Jew". I started wearing a Kippah at all times, Tzittzit and kept Kosher and Shabbat.
I found a Persian Community where I was a part of for many years I would go out of my to get there because there was no other way for me to attend Services, I would pray and read Torah at home, don Teffilin and pray there times a day but would go to Synagogue on Shabbat I would pray, study and fellowship with other Jews. The first few years were beautiful because I finally found my place I felt I found a community, I had made friends was active and took part of Minyans and was called to the Bimah to read from the Torah I was even considering in becoming a Rabbi.
Fast forward to 2015 I went through some personal things in my life and in 2016 I had lost my faith but I still considered myself Jewish and Observant but I felt it wasn't the same anymore I felt out of place, I didn't feel welcomed as before and I felt that I was constantly being watched by people in different Synagogues I would visit, I had many people treat me badly, many judged me they would integrate me and ask me too many personal questions if I was Jewish and even with documentation and people that knew me that I was Jewish many people doubted my Jewishness, simply because I was Hispanic, Sephardic, Poor and Olive Complexed.
The final straw came in June 2019 in Tarzana, I was in the lobby of this Synagogue reading the Siddur and this Rabbi who never seen me before came up to me and my mother and asked me who were, why we were there and he told us to leave he was very aggressive, rude and disrespectful he made some excuse that someone vandalized the Mezuzah at the entrance which was a huge one made out of silver, I said to the Rabbi that had nothing to do with us we weren't there but he was very unethical, unprofessional and not having Emunah I was very offended by his behavior and I decided to leave with my mother.
After Shabbat during the week I contacted the Beit Din of Los Angeles I made a formal complaint and reported the Rabbi for his racist and discriminatory behavior towards my character, they took the information put in on record and they told me they would contact that Rabbi in Tarzana to resolve the dispute among the Dayan it never happened. The following day I called the Synagogue and spoke with the secretary and the secretary put me through the board of directors I spoke with the director for about an hour I told her how I felt and I said I had contacted the Beit Din and made a compliant against the Rabbi in question for his behavior, I told her I demand a formal apology from the Rabbi and if I get the apology within a timeframe I would accept it and move on and not bother them again, however if the Rabbi refused to make an apology to me and my mother we were prepared to look into taking legal action against the Rabbi and Synagogue for Racial Discrimination.
The Director was very apologetic and she said there may have been a misunderstanding and that the Rabbi meant no disrespect or harm to us and I said regardless of how he viewed us there are protocol in dealing with visitors and Rabbi is suppose to welcome visitors even if they don't like them its not his job to harass people let alone be rude to them I said the Rabbi needs to be retrained on proper etiquette and manners. Nothing came of the complaint nothing was done and the Rabbi never contacted me to make an apology. I couldn't deal with it anymore one thing is congregants not being friendly or welcoming but for a Rabbi to behave in that matter the way he did was unforgivable and disgusting I went off the derech and I never went to Synagogue again. I got tired of the racism, discrimination, xenophobia, elitism, materailsim and ungodliness among the Jewish Community in Los Angeles, they have forgotten about Hashem, Torah, Emunah, Misvot and Tikkun Olam which are the fundamental doctrines of Judaism its like American Jews have made Judaism into an Elitist Social Club that you have to be born into or be rich and they are not inclusive but exclusive, unfortunately because of that negative attitude they have towards not of their social status is why Anti-Semitism is out of control. Hispanic Jews get abused, expolited, humilated and ridiculed by the Jewish Community because we are seen as either Converts or Phonies that want to be Jewish and its disgusting and its immoral Spanish Jews have a 800 year history that's very rich in culture, customs and traditions unfortunately because Spanish/Hispanic Jews lack econmonic power we also lack political power and prominent people think they can get away with abusing Hispanic Jews and conitnue to get away with it.
