I'm super Jewish. Not Jew-ish, but really, full-on, un-apologetically Jewish. In high school, I was the founder and president of my school's Jewish club and the religious and cultural vice president of my synagogue's youth group. I worked in the second grade religious school class. I wear a necklace around my neck that says "love" in Hebrew. One of my majors is Jewish Studies, and I spend a significant of time thinking about what it would be like to be a Rabbi. I spend a lot of my free time listening to Jewish music, reading Jewish books, and hanging out with Jewish friends. As you can tell, Judaism is a huge part of my life, in many ways.
Judaism is everything about me - it is my culture, my family, my community, my interests, my hobbies, my values, my identity. I am one hundred percent certain that I would not be the person I am today if I had not been raised Jewish.
It hasn't always been this way. I mean, I've always been Jewish, but it wasn't always such a big part of my life. When I was a kid, going to synagogue was just kind of something I did. I didn't think about it or talk about it when I wasn't there, and I wasn't the biggest fan of it when I was there. It was just a part of the routine.
It wasn't until I got to high school when Judaism really started to permeate every aspect of my life. At a time when making friends was not so easy, I joined my temple's youth group and instantly felt welcomed. I soon took on a leadership position in the youth group and learned about my own leadership abilities and values. I became close with the other members of my youth group and aspired to be like the older members. Youth group was somewhere I could go where I could have fun, learn and most importantly be my authentic self. I didn't have to worry about my reputation because I knew that everyone there valued me for who I was.
It was also around this time when I began becoming closer with my clergy. I have been blessed enough to have incredible rabbinical staff around me my entire life. These men and women give so much of themselves on a daily base without receiving much recognition for all of the hard work that they do. They inspire me to be kind, courageous and compassionate, and to live my life in a just an honest way. They have taught me all of the Jewish values that make up my moral code, and they have answered my endless questions about G-d, death, right and wrong, and so much more with complete honesty. They have taken care of me an made my synagogue my second home.
The most important part about my Judaism to me is my Jewish community. They are my extended family, and they have lifted me up in times of darkness. They are friends, family, peers, mentors and teachers. I love my Jewish community as much as I love my own family and I know that they love me the same.
I am a lot of things. I am a student, a teacher, a friend, a sister, a daughter, an activist, a journalist, and more. But without Judaism, I would not be me.
