Meet Carmen Ezaoui

April 17, 2024 | People in Our Neighborhood

By Jewish Connection Network

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. 

I’m married to my wonderful husband Brian and we have two children Hannah 3, and Asher 1. We also have a cat Toby that is 13 years old. I work in the finance industry and my husband is a food broker.

What is your background/heritage? 

I am Israeli, Indian and Sephardic/Mizrahi*.   I was born in Israel, my mother is from India and my father is from Morocco. Both of my parents moved to Israel as children and grew up in Israel, and they lived there until we moved when I was 4.

How has your heritage influenced your life? Or how does your heritage influence how you live your life and how you are raising your family? 

I grew up in Ocean City, Maryland and we didn’t have a large Jewish community. I didn’t realize growing up just how different Sephardic traditions were until I moved to Baltimore for college and met my Ashkenazi* friends.  Living here now I hope to raise my children with a mix in order to embrace the norms of the local Jewish community while also celebrating the differences with traditionally Sephardic foods, customs, and decor.

As a new connector, what is something you are looking forward to/most excited about? 

To connect with people in our neighborhood and create a community for my children that’s not only based on religion and tradition but also everyday life.  To make connections so we all have someone to attend events with, meet at the park for a playdate  or just to grab a cup of coffee with.

What do you love most about Israel?   

So much! The food, the people, the beaches, the history, but mostly visiting with family.

What is your favorite Israeli style food?

Falafel!

Do you speak fluent Hebrew and would you want your kids to speak Hebrew?

I speak fluent Hebrew, but I was 4 when we moved so my vocabulary is on par with most children. My children do know some words and phrases that we use regularly but of course I’d love for them to know and speak more.

*Sephardic Jews are Jews who were forced to leave Spain and settled in parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Mizrahi Jews come from Middle Eastern ancestry.

*Ashkenazi Jews were rooted in France, Germany, and Eastern Europe.