My children’s great-great-great-grandmother on their mother’s side, Sarah Maraboots, was the daughter of a Navajo Chief and granddaughter of a Paiute Princess. She was born in 1843 near Jacob Lake, Arizona, in the American Southwest. 

My children’s great-great-great-great-grandfather on their father’s side, Alexander Neibaur, spoke seven languages, trained to be a rabbi, and received his degree in dentistry at the University of Berlin. He immigrated from France to England, then to the United States in 1841.

Sarah and Alexander never met, but their blood comes together in my children.

I’ve done ceremony with indigenous American friends and received shamanic rites. We’ve gathered in a tipi to honor the new moon and pass the pipe. Like my ancestor, Alexander, I learned Hebrew to study the Torah. I continue to honor my Jewish heritage and holy days. I gather with Jewish friends to support one another and others we’ve never met.

I grew up in a Christian home, but I’ve studied the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, and other eastern traditions. I honor the good in all souls. There is room in my home for all.