At a time in the United States and the world, I have found it important to speak from my heart and be a light in the quest to alleviate the lack of information about being a Jewish woman.

Finding your artistic voice is an unspoken journey for every creative who chooses their way over the highway—the tiny tip of a number two pencil is the goal. What exactly are you saying? How exactly are you saying it? And, as importantly, who are you saying it to?

I am a fifty-year-old actress living in a pocket of Miami that attracts travelers who need a nondescript place to relax. There isn’t any group of people in my neighborhood; it is filled with people who enjoy a simple vibe, lots of trees, and quiet walks at 4 a.m., guarded by the local cops, who take pride in keeping the area very safe.

On the beach during my morning dances with the universe, I felt a rush of emotion and a vision. I saw myself wearing a white silk robe with a sun on it, which reminded me of the Egg costume I wear in my solo show, JEWBANA.

I am making rugelach and answering phone messages with a voice recording.

I think, is this the second act? Am I doing Jewbana and taking it to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh again with all my amazing reviews, videos, and marketing material? I was in it; I was in the surf of the emotion of the vision I was seeing. I felt the silk fabric, I felt the rugelach on the table being spread out. I heard the sound of people calling and asking me for my opinion on their situation, and I saw myself on a stage, rolling the dough, answering the questions, wearing the silk garb and feeling all of it.

I reached out to my contact from my previous time in Edinburgh, and he offered his wise and unsettling wisdom.

“You can’t take Jewbana to Edinburgh. It isn’t going to work. The anti-Semitism is too high there.” In those words, in a Facebook message, I heard the cold steel clanging of a metal garage door creak, slide, and shut.

DONE.

I was free in a way to turn my head and see that as I traveled around Miami and attended events to reacquaint myself with the community after a few months in the Northeast, I started to learn that Miami is where one million Jewish people are. One million people. And that it is among the safest places in the world to be a Jew, and that the Mayor of Miami claimed it is because the Cuban Catholics demanded it be safe for the Jews.

My show, Jewbana, which is about a Jewish woman and her Cuban Catholic family, was met with the sound of silverware on crystal. I heard it….

I have been slowly allowing the sound to chime through my body. I auditioned for the show at the JCC after my Jewish mystic Reiki chiropractor told me she thought I should be in their shows. I was aghast, and yet I turned on my toes and auditioned for the role I wanted at the callback, then rescinded my audition for a larger, more popular theater. I sat in this newfound awareness.

I found what I want to say, how I want to say it, and who I want to say it to.

I want to share my show, Jewbana, with its people. I want to celebrate the relationship between the Cubans and the Jews in this beautiful and vibrant city of Miami.

I will.
I shall.
So it is.