The Wolovitch-Lopez Family: United in Diversity
Like many families, Laura Wolovitch, Tony Lopez, and Minnie Wolovitch-Lopez sometimes argue over what to listen to in the car.
They all love music. Minnie is majoring in Music Therapy, Tony has a background in radio, Laura grew up surrounded by music (her father, Temple member Harold Wolovitch, owned Torps Music in Frogtown), and they all “fiddle around” on different instruments. Though they can’t always agree on a soundtrack, Tony says that he tries to “be in touch with the kind of music Minnie’s into.” Music is indeed a common language for the family, and being in touch with what is important to each other – and those around them – is in their DNA.
Laura grew up coming to Temple with her father, her brother Al, and her late mother, Evelyn. Tony grew up in Colorado in an Evangelical Christian household. He moved to Minneapolis after college, and he and Laura met and started dating a few years later. As the two got serious, they became involved at Temple, attending Intro to Judaism classes, going to Shabbat dinners with Laura’s family, and forming a Shabbos group with friends. While he “didn’t really take to” the Evangelical church, Tony became interested in Judaism as he learned more about Temple’s commitment to social causes.
The couple found many parallels between Laura’s Jewish upbringing and Tony’s Latino heritage including a focus on family, fun gatherings, and food. Tony, who is half Mexican and half Puerto Rican, said that when he was growing up, “everything was about family, food, and togetherness.” The two married in 1999 and wed their cultures together through music – their reception featured both klezmer and mariachi bands. They officially joined in faith when Tony later converted to Judaism.
Growing up, Minnie went through the traditional rites of a young person at Temple, taking part in Hebrew school, Confirmation, and b’nai mitzvah training, but she never felt like she fit in completely. During high school, she started to explore her Latina side. When the family made a trip to Puerto Rico a year before Hurricane Maria, “everything made more sense to me,” Minnie said. “I felt like I was at home.”
Minnie’s heritage isn’t necessarily recognizable: with her reddish hair and fair skin, her friends initially didn’t believe she was Latina. Still, she feels the pressures of being a person of color in the United States. She sees how Tony, with his darker complexion, is sometimes subject to a suspicious glance, or worse. “When I’m with him,” Minnie says of her father, “I feel I have to be protective.”
Their diversity has made the family attuned to the different subtleties of oppression that still exist in 2018. Even Temple is much more diverse than it was 20 years ago: when Tony and Laura were married, the ceremony was performed by a judge because Temple, like other synagogues at the time, did not perform interfaith weddings (Rabbi Zimmerman blessed the couple at the ceremony). While progress has been made, Tony says, “there’s always work to be done,” including making the public face of Temple reflect the 20% of Jews who are people of color.
“People of color feel uncomfortable in many spaces,” Minnie agrees. “There are so many Latino Jews, African Jews. Having a space for us is super powerful and so needed.” Systemic change can be daunting, but Tony echoes that simply creating space for diverse voices to be heard is key to fostering understanding and community. “Any time we can hear someone’s experience, it lets us in a little bit.”
While the realities of everyday life can sometimes be overwhelming, the family loves coming together for Shabbat services as a way to “let the week go.” And of course, they love the music-centric worship, particularly Nefesh services. As Laura says, “Music always brings people together.”
