Leaving home for college helped me realize I could be Jewish and Chinese.
“My dad is Jewish, and my mom is Chinese. Growing up, I noticed I was different from others in Boulder, Colorado.”
Humans of Hillel
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My Judaism is no longer an inconvenience, but a rich, centuries-old tradition I cherish.
“Now that I’m older, I take pride in setting myself apart to practice Judaism. I don’t see it as an inconvenience, but as an honor to be a part of a tradition that is thousands of years old.”
As I continue embracing my Blackness, I know there’s also room to embrace my Judaism.
“I am biracial. My dad is Black and Christian, and my mom is white and Jewish.”
Jews of Color have always been in the picture. We’re just easily overlooked and undermined.
“My freshman year, I joined Hillel Race Talks, a committee to keep conversations about diversity in the Jewish community alive on the Brandeis campus.”
Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my experiences as a Jewish woman.
“Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my own experiences as a Jewish woman. I learned that the more we embrace different traditions and listen to different perspectives, the more we can learn and grow.”
I learned there are so many ways for me to belong and be Jewish on my own terms.
“As a child, I grew up without any connection to Judaism.”
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.”
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 was scared my Jewish community wouldn’t accept me when I came out as trans.
“When I first came out as trans, I was really scared that I wouldn’t be accepted by my Jewish community.”
