Shais Rishon, also known by the pen name MaNishtana, is an African-American Orthodox rabbi, activist, and writer. He has written for Tablet, Kveller, The Forward, Jewcy, and Hevria, as well as writing a semi-autobiographical novel under his pen name. In 2014, he was included in The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36", an annual list of influential Jews under age 36.[1]
MaNishtana | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shais Rishon (1982-02-14) February 14, 1982 (age 40) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Notable works | Ariel Samson, Freelance Rabbi, MaNishtana blog |
| Spouse | Gulienne Rollins-Rishon |
| Children | 1 |
Rishon was born February 14, 1982[2] in Brooklyn, New York to a black Jewish family associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. According to him, his mother's ancestors have been practicing Jews since the 1780s,[2] while his father, Asher Rishon, converted to Judaism in the 1980s.[3] Growing up, he felt alienated from the Jewish community due to his race and the treatment he received from other Jews.[4] He attended James Madison High School and Brooklyn College,[5] where he majored in English.[6]
He began blogging about his black and Jewish identities as MaNishtana in 2009.[1] Rishon writes about racism within the Jewish community, and has worked as a content manager for Bend The Arc, a progressive Jewish organization focused on social justice,[2] and served as rabbi for Kehilat Ir Chadash, an Orthodox congregation in New City, New York.[7]
In 2020, Rishon and rapper Yitz Jordan (Y-Love) announced plans to create a Jewish Community Center specifically for Jews of color. The community center would be open to all Jews, but focused on Jews of color, and would build bridges both within the Jewish community and between Jews of color and other minorities.[8]
Ariel Samson, Freelance Rabbi was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award's Goldberg Award for Debut Fiction.[5] Rishon says that he hopes the semi-autobiographical novel can challenge stereotypes about Jews of Color, and make a place for them in the larger Jewish community.[2]
He has also contributed to the Kveller Haggadah.[9] Rishon has also dabbled in playwrighting, contributing in 2017 to The Jewish Plays Project alongside playwrights Susan Bernfield, Sarah Gancher, and MJ Kaufman.[10]
In 2013, Rishon wrote an open letter criticizing New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind for wearing blackface at a Purim celebration.[11]
Rishon has a wife, Guliene Rollins-Rishon, and daughter, who was born in late 2013.[1][2] His wife is a biracial Jew and a descendant of Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipman Heller.[5]
In June 2021, Rishon revealed publicly via Twitter that he is autistic and polyamorous, stating that his discovery of both was "less than 3 years old".[12]
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