Leah
Favorite traditional Jewish food: Matzoh brei
Favorite Jewish holiday: I think my favorite holiday is Yom Kippur. Even though the fast is painful and never enjoyable, my family has a really large break-fast celebration. It is always such a great time. I love seeing all of my family friends and eating lots of good. How would you describe your identity? A huge part of my identity is being a woman. Specifically thinking about my feminism, that is what empowers me and challenges me. It helps me think critically about the world around me, I look at everything through a feminist lens. That is really powerful for me, so it is something I hold very closely. Being Jewish is a huge part of my identity as well, specifically being a reform Jew. I think a lot about the values of social justice that are ingrained in reform Judaism, and that is very central to my Judaism. To me, social justice work and Judaism go hand in hand. Even though this will change throughout my life, being a young person is a big part of my identity. When I go into spaces, particularly spaces filled with adults, when I’m either speaking or presenting on something, I am always really aware of being a young person and a young woman. |
Do you feel like your looks and experiences are included in the general picture of what a Jewish woman is?
In some regards yes. Being a white Jewish woman, yes. I hold a lot of power in all societies, but specifically being a white woman in my synagogue. I am not ostracized in any way or viewed as an outsider. I’ve got the classic Jewish brown hair, I’ve got that going for me. Something I think about a lot is the fact that my mom grew up not Jewish. Half of my family is Christian, so when I see them, we say grace at the dinner table and go to church sometimes. In Jewish text, they talk about rules of who qualifies as a Jew, and even for Birthright laws in Israel. I have a Jewish mother who converted after I was born, so some people see me as less of a Jew because of that. I struggle with that because I don’t feel like I’m any less Jewish. How does this affect your feelings about Judaism? It helps me remain critical of Judaism. I am able to look at different laws, texts, and traditions, and realize that that may not be the right way for me. It empowers me to feel comfortable taking up space in Jewish spaces. I don’t think about the fact that my mom wasn’t raised Jewish every day, but when I have to be critical, I have a different outlook. |
"I have a Jewish mother who converted after I was born, so some people see me as less of a Jew because of that. I struggle with that because I don’t feel like I’m any less Jewish." |
"At the Orthodox synagogue, [the women] were literally caged in. We had a small corner and we couldn’t see anything." |
Do you feel like you have been generally welcomed in Judaism? Why or why not?
In my world of Judaism, I have been welcomed. My parents were welcomed at [my synagogue], but they wouldn’t be welcomed everywhere. I have prayed at some Orthodox synagogues, and I don’t think I would mention that my mom wasn’t raised Jewish. I am also very aware that I am a woman in those spaces, especially when the Mahitzah is up. Are there times where you have felt excluded because of your various identities? The seniors at [my synagogue] take a trip to New York every year. When we went this year, we visited a bunch of other synagogues. The first one we went to was this really cool Reconstructionist synagogue. We were singing all these songs, and really vibing with it. The next day, for Saturday morning services, we went to two: one was Sephardic, and one was Ashkenazi Modern Orthodox. In the Sephardic synagogue, the women’s section was upstairs. I did feel very removed from the actual prayer service because I was looking down on all of these people and the Torah was so far away from me. At the Orthodox synagogue, [the women] were literally caged in. We had a small corner and we couldn’t see anything. While women were able to participate, we were still sectioned off from all of the men. When they were walking around with the Torah, the men could still come into our section, but I know that I would not have been to walk with the Torah and go into their section. That really upset me because it was so blatant. At the same time, for those women, that is their version of Judaism. I struggle with the fact that I felt so disrespected, but for the women that attend the synagogue, that is all they know. I can’t tell them that they are doing Judaism wrong. |
Do you feel like the Jewish spaces you have been in have been diverse and/or accepting of different people?
[My synagogue] is definitely accepting of different genders, races, different backgrounds and experience. Granted, the makeup of the community is very white, there aren’t very many Jews of color. When we visited the Reconstructionist congregation in New York, it was filled with all different types of people. There were more Jews of color in that room then I have seen in [my synagogue] in my whole life. I started thinking about our community. I know that people of different Jewish backgrounds exist, so why are we so homogenous? Does identifying as Jewish play an important role in your life? Yes. It has done two things for me. First, it has grounded me. I’ve been going to the same synagogue my whole life, my baby naming was there. It is a very comfortable space for me. The prayers that we do and the songs we sing are so familiar, so there is a sense of routine that is really comforting. Second, the values in Judaism are the values that are important to me. The values that I have learned from Judaism are what drive me to support social justice and be an advocate for folks that are underrepresented or oppressed. That is why I want to go into politics and policy. I think that without those values, I wouldn’t be able to have the passion and the drive to do what I do What is your favorite part about being Jewish? Besides those two things, My 4th grade Judaica teacher would always preach to us that wherever we went, we would always be able to go to a synagogue on Friday night, and you will feel at home. That is something that I have thought a lot about throughout my life. It is something I continue to think about as I’m going off to college and entering the ‘real world’. There will be a Jewish community for me to find support in wherever I go. |
"The values that I have learned from Judaism are what drive me to support social justice and be an advocate for folks that are underrepresented or oppressed." |