Mexican and Jewish, too?
That’s Right, Says Elias Mizrahi '10

Good morning, some of you know me as Ilias (or flats), some of you know me as Elias (gringo), and some simply know me as big E. Besides being 6 foot 4, I am also Mexican and Jewish. Some of you may be wondering: Is that even possible? Never heard of a Mexican Jew before? Well, Mexico has a small community of Jews; Jews represent less than point one percent of the total Mexican population. That fact tells a lot about who I am.

I was born and raised in Mexico City, the second largest city in the world.  I am the oldest of four. Up until last year when I came to Milton, I went to American school. I am sure my childhood was different than some of yours, growing in a city with 20 million people has various disadvantages. As a child I was never able to go ride my bike down the street, or walk home from school. Mexico City can be a very dangerous place, even more so for a child. However, I as grew older, I learned to love the city and the different opportunities it made available to me.

Some facts about Mexico:

• Main language is Spanish
• The minimum wage is five dollars a day, believe it or not.
• Burritos are not Mexican, just wanted to clear that up for many of you.
• The college process starts midway through senior year
• The city is divided into neighborhoods—very nice neighborhoods as well as very poor neighborhoods. I grew up in one of the more well-to-do neighborhoods.

When I came to the Milton, the major differences I saw were the those between American and Mexican cultures. Some examples:

People in Mexico usually have lunch at three or four in the afternoon, pm and dinner at 8 through 10 pm.  In the U.S., many people don’t take the sufficient time to sit down and enjoy a meal. An average American family only spends 20 minutes at the typical dining table. You might think that the whole eating culture does not make much of a difference in your lives, but believe me, it does. 

I came to Milton primarily for the education. Another major difference between Mexico and Milton is how much people value their education. Back home, my friends have lots of priorities ahead of their learning. This is a major problem with Mexico’s youth. I know that none of us would be here at Milton, if we didn’t care about our high school education.

The things I value the most about Milton are the teacher-student relationships that you can build. In Mexico, such relationships are nearly impossible to build, at least from my experience. This is only one of the many things that learned to value here at Milton. This is one of the many things that I would have missed, if I had stayed in Mexico City.

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