Was Your Self A Nationality?

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One of the most fascinating aspects of Yasmin Elizabeth’s personality is that she is both an Israeli and a nationality. Born and raised in Kuwait, Yasmin Elizabeth was a minor international child who moved with her family to the United States when she was very young. Her identity as an Israeli was never strong and her true nationality was not known to anyone in Kuwait or even to her own extended family in Israel. Her true nationality was only discovered after she had immigrated to the US at the age of 18 where her biological parents had died.

As is typical of younger Israelis, Yasmin was drawn to the more intellectual aspects of Jewish culture. This explains her interest in the study of comparative mythology and the roots of the Hebrew language and her deep appreciation of the Talmud scholars who wrote it. It also explains why her interests and abilities are highly sought after by academic researchers. As a child, her studies focused on everything to do with the Jews in ancient Judaic history and the wider issues that came up between the Jews and gentiles during those times.

Although it is obvious that Yasmin Elizabeth has an immense love and passion for the Talmud and the intellectual aspects of Jewish culture, one would be hard pressed to make a connection between this passionate youngster and her current career which has spanned three continents and involved a number of academic disciplines. At the age of 16 she began studying the relevant literature of the time, reading the various works by such notable scholars as Chaim Weitzman, Benzoni and others as well as the classic books of the Talmud, Kabbalah and mishna. While her interests were academic in nature, her career as a translator and copy editor in the publishing industry has given her much exposure to the cultures and professions of other parts of the world as well as the insight into the nature of the various Judaic traditions themselves.

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