Sonia Daccarett: A Jewish Mother, a Palestinian Father, & Her Search for Identity

Sonia begins by telling Chavie about the memoir-writing class that unexpectedly became her book. Then, they trace her childhood, starting with her Jewish grandparents who fled Eastern Europe, her Christian Arab grandparents who left Ottoman-era Bethlehem, and how her parents met in Colombia and built a new life together. Growing up, Sonia repeatedly asked, “What are we?” Her parents wanted their children to choose their own beliefs, but their answer, “We are nothing” left her longing to belong. She walks Chavie through the beauty of her tropical childhood, the cartel violence that transformed Colombia, and the first time a conflict in the Middle East exposed the identities and loyalties her parents had tried to set aside. At 18, Sonia left for college in America, where she explored Middle Eastern history, Hebrew, Arabic, and the Judaism that ultimately became central to her adult life. Chavie and Sonia reflect on the foundations parents give their children, even when they try not to impose, and how writing allowed Sonia to see her parents and grandparents as flawed, complicated, deeply loved people. They end with her return to her childhood home, her mother’s willingness to be uncomfortable for the sake of the book, and the ethical line between telling your own story and telling someone else’s.   Sonia Daccarett, author of the newly released book, The Roots of the Guava Tree, is a writer and communications professional. Born in Colombia to a Christian Palestinian father and a Jewish mother, she moved to the United States and received an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s degree in international and public affairs from Columbia University. For more than two decades, she worked on strategic communications initiatives with corporate and non-profit clients and currently writes and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.   This Week's Prompt How does antisemitism affect you? Does it make you want to be louder or go under the radar? No wrong answers!  This segment, at the end of every episode, features voice notes from listeners with their personal stories and hot takes on a given prompt.   Referenced On the Pod 1:47:43 Rebbetzin Miriam Lipsker of Chabad at Emory University viral video  1:58:27 Chavie's blogpost, I Need a Minute, in reaction to the chanukah Bondi massacre Stay in touch with Sonia! www.soniadaccarett.com Sonia on Instagram  Order The Roots of the Guava Tree Here   Stay in touch with Chavie! @chaviebruk on Instagram www.totallyunexpected.blog Totally Unexpected! on Youtube   Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].