I had culture shock when I moved with my family from an Israeli kibbutz to Wisconsin.
鈥淚 had culture shock when I moved with my family from a kibbutz in Israel 鈥 one that only spanned two streets 鈥 to Wisconsin.鈥
Tag: Humans of Hillel
114 results
My dad is Jewish, and my mom is Filipino Catholic. I have no shame.
鈥淢y dad is Jewish, and my mom is Filipino Catholic. Growing up, I felt pressured by my Jewish relatives to only focus on my Judaism and forget about the other parts of my identity.鈥
Because I was raised in an interfaith home, being Jewish was always a choice for me.
鈥淏ecause I was raised in an interfaith household, being Jewish was always a choice for me.鈥
My tattoo of the Hebrew word chai represents my Judaism and my long battle with depression.
鈥淚 have the Hebrew word chai tattooed on my arm.鈥
I have muscular dystrophy. My muscles may not be as strong, but I鈥檝e learned to adapt.
鈥淚 was born with muscular dystrophy. My muscles may not be as strong as everyone else鈥檚, but I鈥檝e learned to adapt and figure out how to do things in my own way.
I’m one of the few Jews with a mutated BRCA gene, meaning I’m at high risk for breast cancer.
鈥淚 was adopted as a child, but I knew my chances of developing breast cancer were high.鈥
One of my classmates would whisper about me, saying, 鈥榃hy would I pray for a Jew?鈥
鈥淚 was enrolled in a Catholic school, where I was the only Jewish and Eastern European student.鈥
People didn鈥檛 see my adopted mom as my 鈥榬eal鈥 mother, so they didn鈥檛 see me as a 鈥榬eal鈥 Jew.
Nowadays, I鈥檓 not scared to tell people that I鈥檓 adopted and Jewish anymore.
My brothers and I found a respite from the constant pressures of cadet life at Hillel.
It was a small, tight-knit community that immediately absorbed us and gave us a respite from the constant pressures at West Point.
My family emigrated from India to New York and then moved to North Carolina.
鈥淛ewish life centered around the home for me. My family immigrated from India to New York and then moved to North Carolina.鈥
