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I was born in Panama in 1981. My father was in the US military; in 1982 I moved to Florida (Homestead). From 1984 to 1988 I lived in Misawa, Japan, after which I returned to Homestead where I lived until 1992. In 1992, we relocated to San Angelo, Texas, where I went to school until I graduated in 1999. In 1999, I moved to San Antonio for my undergraduate studies in Philosophy and Literature (with a minor in Music) at University of Texas (UTSA). In 2006, I moved to New York to live with my brother for my master’s in Linguistics at the City University of New York and my master’s in Translation at New York University. In New York, I moved from Franklin Square to Queens, then Brooklyn and finally Manhattan. I met my wife and we converted to Judaism and married there and then moved to Midwood in Brooklyn. In 2012 we moved to Boston for a year before we moved home, Israel.

I wrote a song. When I lived in San Antonio, Texas, from 2000-2003 I played music professionally in a band initially called E Serenes (The Sirens in Greek) but later changed to E Muzeki (The Music in Greek), along with two amazing souls and musicians, Mark Varelas and Jenny O’Connor. I was mostly assigned bass, but I also was lead vocals and played accompanying guitar and bouzouki as well; I came up with this song on the bouzouki (I remember the moment), but they enhanced it ten-fold by rendering it into a composition and including a verse played by the violin. It is still one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

There is no better time to be a Jew. We are converts who love Judaism, Jews and Israel. We made aliyah because this was and is the place for Jews on Earth to practice Judaism. I am not sure what the intention is behind all those praying three times a day for all Jews to return to Israel, one can only be the change they want to see.

I was born in Panama. My mother is from Chile and my father is from Colombia. My mother’s forefathers immigrated from the Netherlands (surname van Buren), Italy (de Ferrari) and Britain (Budge) and Spain (Frias); my father’s last name (Cuéllar) is a town in Spain, site of the Jewish quarter where my ancestors may have possibly immigrated from.

I am a (legal) translator. I studied English and Philosophy and then got master’s degrees in Linguistics and Translation. I must admit I am impressed with the efficiency at which AI can translate documents in terms of speed and quality. I am not sure what this means for the industry and a professional in the field such as myself; that said, I am an excellent student, and my skills suggest a very specific alternative route – the law. Am I to become a student and practitioner of law?

I am an expat. When I walk around, no matter where on the globe, I have a sticker on my back that says “I am an American.” The good news is that everybody I speak to is culturally American as well, which puts me and others like me at an advantage in terms of influence.

We are converts to Judaism. My wife and I have effectively established a new bloodline, a new chapter to a story. I think our story, our lives are worthy of more recognition in conversation than most topics of concern in many conversations today, but that is a story for another day.

Let us start by providing a setting. I am a 43 year old man who is married with 3 children. We live in Raanana, Israel and are on the frontlines of world history. And not only is this story part of a defining moment for the entire planet, but a crescendo on the canvas of my life and for all Jews worldwide.