News

Jewish Traditions Through a Mexican Lens

SILVER SCREEN: The film, ?My Mexican Shivah,? tells the story of a Jewish family in Mexico City.

By Elissa Strauss August 27, 2008

Religion and national culture can make for strange bedfellows. And as evidenced by the availability of items like the political-themed yarmulkes the McCippah and the Obamica, American Jews have come a long way in blending the two. Mexican Jews, on the other hand, are still working on their balancing act.

SILVER SCREEN: The film, ?My Mexican Shivah,? tells the story of a Jewish family in Mexico City.

In his soon-to-be released film, “My Mexican Shivah,” director Alejandro Springall brings to the screen the story of a Mexico City family mourning the loss of its patriarch. The movie, based on a story by Ilan Stavans, shows the peculiar collisions and alliances of dysfunctional family members who come together to tell very different stories about their father, grandfather, friend or lover. Through the unexpected arrival of a Catholic mistress and a mariachi band, and a quick last-minute attempt to instruct the maids about kosher law, the group tries to manage the Jewish traditions the father left behind and the new Mexican ones he embraced.

Despite the mixed loyalties and levels of observance found in the family, Springall says that holding a proper shiva would be a given.

“Shivas in Mexico are really not related on the level of religiosity or how observant the family is. Every family sits shiva for the seven days,” Springall told the Forward in an e-mail. “It has really become a very important social event, and this is, I suppose, because with Mexico being predominantly Catholic, the Jewish community is very keen on keeping traditions and a Jewish life.”

Elissa Strauss has written for the Forward over a number of years. She is a regular contributor to CNN, whose work has been published in a number of publications including The New York Times, Glamour, ELLE, and Longreads.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO