Yaffa Borukhova’s You Don’t Look Jewish Centers a Bukharian Child’s Search to Belong

After October 7, 2023, Dushanbe-born educator and performer Yaffa Borukhova noticed Jewish parents asking what they could give children that would inspire pride rather than fear. That question became her debut children’s book, You Don’t Look Jewish, which she both wrote and illustrated—and which she discussed with Roman Kaykov on Kaykov TV in a feature the Bukharian Jewish Link published Sept. 18, 2026.

Borukhova immigrated to New York at age 11 in 1991, later grew up among early Bukharian families in Denver, studied opera performance, trained further in Italy, and earned an M.S. in Education from Bank Street College before more than a decade working with children, including in special education. The book’s title echoes a remark she heard across her life; she decided the child at its center should not be generically Jewish but Bukharian.

“I realized, you know, I don’t want this kid to be Jewish. I wanted this kid to be Bukharian,” she told Kaykov. Writing came easily; illustrating did not. She had never illustrated a book and ultimately spent a full year drawing, formatting, and preparing the volume herself after learning professional help would cost more time and money than her already-scheduled launch allowed. “This book is completely from scratch,” she said. “I would say this is a children’s book, but this was the hardest project I’ve ever undertaken.”

She stressed the story is less about appearance than belonging—roots experienced as something beautiful. “Putting this book together, it’s brought me closer to my own Bukharian roots,” she said, urging families to cook the foods, play the music, and speak about what is worth loving. Asked if she was proud to call herself Bukharian, she answered: “Very proud.”

Sources: Bukharian Jewish Link. Image: Dennis G. Jarvis / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.