I had lost sight of how important Judaism was to me. Hillel helped me remember that.
“After I became a bat mitzvah, I let Judaism fade into the background of my life.”
Topic: Hillel Leadership
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People always ask me what kind of Jew I am. I’m just a Mizrahi Jew, and that’s good enough.
“People would always ask me what kind of Jew I was. Orthodox? Conservative? Reform? I always said, ‘I’m just a Mizrahi Jew, and that’s good enough.’”
I always feel the most connected with my Judaism when I’m in nature.
“I always feel the most in touch with my Judaism when I’m in nature, surrounded by trees, on the beach, taking hikes, watching the sunrise and sunset.”
I grew up in an interfaith family, with a Jewish father and a Christian mother.
“I grew up in an interfaith family, with a Jewish father and a Christian mother, and my parents decided to raise me Christian. I was baptized, I had communion, but I never really identified with Christianity, nor had much of a choice in practicing it. I wasn’t supposed to be questioning my practices and beliefs, […]
My tattoo of the Hebrew word chai represents my Judaism and my long battle with depression.
“I have the Hebrew word chai tattooed on my arm.”
One of my classmates would whisper about me, saying, ‘Why would I pray for a Jew?’
“I was enrolled in a Catholic school, where I was the only Jewish and Eastern European student.”
My family emigrated from India to New York and then moved to North Carolina.
“Jewish life centered around the home for me. My family immigrated from India to New York and then moved to North Carolina.”
I can open that door. And so, it’s almost like I’m a community gatekeeper.
If someone wants to come into the Hillel community, maybe I'm not the authority on a lot of stuff, but how easy is it for me to open the door or direct someone to the correct location?
I used to be afraid to have conversations about Judaism because I felt so uneducated.
When you’re like me and don’t know what stream of Judaism you fall into, you just know you’re Jewish, it’s very easy to just see everyone for who they are — without the labels.
I arrived at Columbia University — totally alone. Hillel allieviated my homesickness.
With the help of the Hillel staff, we transformed our main hall into a makeshift theater.
