"I am a #Bukharian #Jew. But for most of my life, I took for granted what those words truly meant.

My parents fled #Uzbekistan, then part of the former #SovietUnion, in their late twenties, leaving behind family, friends and a life that, for all its limits, had been familiar, carrying me, just 18 months old, into a new life in #Australia.

Like many #refugees, they rebuilt their lives in a new country, determined to give their children opportunities they never had. And, like many children of #migrants, I learned early that fitting in was easier than explaining. My birth name, Tatyana, was hard to pronounce, easy to tease. “Bukharian” meant nothing to most people. “Uzbekistan” was usually met with puzzled looks. Saying “I’m #Russian” was simpler, even if it wasn’t quite accurate.

Last year, I returned to Uzbekistan, the country of my birth. The journey was not only about travel, but about curiosity..."

https://www.australianjewishnews.com/returning-to-uzbekistan-as-a-bukharian-jew/

I often forget that growing up in nyc I got to be around so many different kinds of #Jewish communities. Anyway I love this video about the #Bukharian community in #Queens

https://youtu.be/m2NT3r7rs20