WHAT BEING JEWISH MEANS TO ME

 

7th grade (Hay Class) of Temple Beth El, Stamford Connecticut - 5767

 

Sarah Ehrlich

There are four things that I love about being Jewish.  The first is eating yummy food.  We have our own types of food that taste good, and remind me of being together.  I love hamantashen on Purim, latkes on Hanukkah, and special chocolate on Passover.  These foods remind me of warmth and family.  Having a Bat Mitzvah is another part of being Jewish, because you read from the Torah and step up into adulthood.  Seeing how well your friends do and celebrating with them at their parties is also really great.  Learning about history makes me love Judaism even more because I know about my past.  Finally, I love holidays because the family is together and we teach each other about the holidays and have fun!

 

Haley Erskine

Being Jewish is definitely the best religion in the world.  I feel great to be part of a people that is so special and has survived for many years through tough times.  It is also great to have such amazing Jewish friends brought together by Hebrew School.  Becoming a Bat Mitzvah was hard work.  Now I can celebrate with my friends when they have their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.  Being a Jew makes me feel part of something.  There aren’t that many Jews, but I am proud to be part of a minority group.  I always have the most fun with my Hebrew School friends who rock because they are Jewish too.  So basically, Jews rock!

 

Josh Friedman

In the past, Jews have overcome a huge amount of strife and anti-Semitism.  The Holocaust was one of these hard times in our Jewish history, where families were split up and innocent men, women, and children were killed unmercifully.  Being part of a people that has fought through unimaginable horrors of this sort is an amazing feeling.  Most important is the fact that we never forget these painful memories of what millions and millions of Jews experienced.  From what the past has shown, our people will face more prejudice, but we will never die, and we will always remember.

 

Lindy Fruithandler

My favorite part of being Jewish is that we are required by the Torah to be kind to animals.  I love animals.  My mitzvah project was to collect money and supplies for Adopt-a-Dog.  Adopt-a-Dog takes hard to adopt animals from shelters and gives them a chance to live in a better home.  The Torah says that you should feed your animals before you feed yourself because they can’t feed themselves.  Being kind to animals is why I love being Jewish and I am proud to be a Jew.

 

Alyssa Gold

As a Jew, I know I am part of something big.  Each holiday is celebrated by all Jews.  When I light the Chanukah candles or have a Passover seder, I know that children and adults from all over the world are doing the same thing.  When I chant Hebrew blessings, I think of the struggling Jews 2000 years ago or in the Holocaust doing the same prayers in the same language. Being a Jew makes me feel special.

 

Aaron Katz

My favorite holiday in the Jewish religion is probably Passover, which has a variety of foods and a long tradition.  I love the matzah ball soup that has the little meatball inside.  I feel that Passover stands out in the Jewish tradition.  We escaped from Egypt and fought off many obstacles in the desert such as the golden calf and the water from the rock.  I also like having all of my family there, together as a whole.  It’s fun having a lot of people at one table all together.

 

Emily Katz

Judaism is about being one.  We Jews are like one big family.  We act together as one.  I am proud to be part of that family.  That is why my favorite part of being Jewish is being part of another family.  At Hebrew School we are all friends and get along very well.  As Jews we all celebrate Shabbat and no matter what temple you go to everyone celebrates Shabbat.  It is always great to have another family.  That is why I’m proud to be a Jew.

 

Robbie Katz

Being a Jew means survival.  We are still here after many have tried to destroy us.  We have been around for so long.  So many people have tried to exterminate us, but we are still here.

 

Andrew Lang

My favorite part of being Jewish is celebrating the holidays.  With family, we all get to see each other and eat good food.  I love my grandma’s matzah ball soup.  Sometimes, we go outside or just talk.  Also, celebrating holidays with friends at the temple is cool.  Having my Bar Mitzvah was also cool.  Now my non-Jewish friends call me a man!

 

Steven Lee

My favorite part of being Jewish is that we are unique.  In my school, there are not many Jews.  I feel special that I am one of very few.  I get to teach my non-Jewish friends about my religion.  Also, when I had my Bar Mitzvah I felt that I accomplished something special.  My friends were all cheering me on and my family was really supporting me.  This is why I am very proud to be a Jew.

 

Tess Litchman

Judaism is a unique religion.  Although we may be few in numbers, we are unique because we are the only people who partake in our special ways.  For example, we celebrate Sabbath, become Bar and Bat Mitzvah, and wear a tallit.  That distinguishes us from others.  We are also unique because we are survivors.  Since the beginning of time, we have been persecuted.  However, we have resiliently endured the hardships, and lived.  For instance, during the Holocaust the Nazis imprisoned us in concentration camps because of our uniqueness.  Nevertheless, we survived.  In conclusion, being Jewish is to be unique.

 

Emilie Pollack

Being Jewish means eating good food that tastes great, such as falafel, latkes, hamatashen, and challah.  Jewish foods are special because they are connected with holidays.  When my mom cooks for the holidays it brings us closer together.  When I see my family at holidays it brings me joy.  I also enjoy eating the foods which the Jews have been eating for thousands of years.  Food is part of our history.

 

Lauren Pollack

The Shabbatons were like no other experience here at TBE.  It was like a mini-camp for a weekend.  We were like one really big Jewish family for two days and had so much fun. Highlights included faces made on the screens in our cabin and trying to find our shoes on the windowsill.  We also spent time outdoors.  The beautiful lake in front of us made it all complete.  It made praying a part of the outdoors and the whole world.  It was great to feel Jewish out in nature.  That’s what I love most about Hebrew School.

 

Brandon Pomerance

Being Jewish means celebrating holidays like Passover, when my family gets together to remember when our ancestors were slaves in Egypt.  I also feel that there will always be the Jewish people because Jews have gone through the Holocaust and slavery in Egypt.  If we were able to survive these experiences, we can survive anything.

 

Alex Rosenberg

Being Jewish means being part of a minority.  I like being a minority because then not so many people know about us and we can educate them.  I like educating my friends about the Holocaust and biblical stories.  It makes me feel proud because we have survived so much.

 

Skyler Ross

What being Jewish means to me is to be an individual, to be caring, considerate, and kind, as the Torah teaches us.  To persevere, and to value learning and education above all else.  Being Jewish means to be strong in body, mind, spirit, and faith.  To fight for your freedom and religion even unto death.  Although we have been threatened numerous times just for being Jewish, we survived as Jews.  That is why I am proud to be a Jew.

 

Joe Salesky

One of the most important things about being Jewish for me is becoming Bar Mitzvah.  I have spent a lot of time studying for my Bar Mitzvah and practicing my Torah portion.  I have also enjoyed going to my classmates’ celebrations.  During my studies I have become a better Hebrew reader and I understand better what the service is about.  In Hebrew School this year I was very interested in learning about the Holocaust.  I loved watching “The Devil’s Arithmetic” in class.  Learning about Holocaust survivors made me proud to be Jewish because of the hardships they went through.  The Holocaust and my Bar Mitzvah are my greatest Jewish connections.

 

Josh Slutsky

I like to be Jewish because when someone wonders about Judaism or asks what it is, I am there and able to talk to them about it.  If I do, they usually would ask about the Holocaust, and I would explain about it.  This is why I am glad, proud, and thankful to be Jewish.

 

Kira Smith

My favorite parts of Hebrew School were meeting new friends and eating great foods.  I met friends from different schools, and I like to come to Hebrew School because I get to see some of my friends that I don’t see during the rest of the week.  At my Bat Mitzvah my friends were there cheering me on, and the party was pretty fun too!  My second favorite part of Hebrew School is the food, because I love pretzels and M&M’s.  I look forward to coming to a place where there is food and Jewish kids.

 

Mike Sosnick

Being Jewish means that your plate is always filled.  Kugel, falafel, latkes, and blintzes are just some of the many delicacies.  I feel that by being a Jew I get my own slice of the world’s cuisine.  The food traditions are very old but they are still alive and well. It also makes me feel special because many foods that are enjoyed by Jews and non-Jews alike, such as bagels and lox, have been created, perfected, and popularized by Jews.  I feel very proud that my heritage has become part of mainstream American culture. 

 

Eva Weinberg

Being Jewish means to me going to Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, and doing mitzvot.  My mitzvah project is making people’s lives better because I am giving stuff to them.  I am giving them things that they don’t have, like shampoo and lotion, and they will appreciate what I’m giving them.  By doing this project I am proud of the Jewish value of giving.             

 

Mitch Weissman

I am proud to be a Jew because I am different from most of my friends.  We have customs that many of my friends don’t.    I like to teach my friends about Judaism.  I teach them Hebrew words and about Bar Mitzvah.  Sometimes I bring my Bar Mitzvah book to school and show them Hebrew words.  I also love to hang out with my Jewish friends.  Shabbatons, Hebrew School, and field trips are only a few of the good times we have had.  I’m sad Hebrew School is over, but we will still be great friends.