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Five Questions, Five Minutes|
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2. Brandeis University (Waltham, MA)
3. Occasionally, I'll [receive] comments about my kippah from some kids -- pre-teens, mostly -- when walking around town, though it's never come to anything more than words. In the sixth grade, right after the Crown Heights riots in New York (my hometown), several of my classmates harassed me because they were under the impression that all Jews hated black people.
4. I've denied myself opportunities because of my faith -- turning down jobs which conflicted non-negotiably with Shabbat observance, for example -- but nobody else has ever done it to me.
5. I think my parents had a slightly more difficult time than I do now, but they never ran into anything serious. I think that what my children will experience depends largely upon what happens with the situation in Israel.
1. Andrea Lankin
2. Fordham University (New York, NY)
3. When on a year abroad in London, I discovered that when I wore a Jewish star, the Arab owners of the store across the street treated me much less politely than they treated my friends.
4. Absolutely not.
5. I think the experiences, while different, are neither easier nor harder.
1. Shira Gold
2. Rider University (Trenton, NJ)
3. Nope
4. No
5. I think my children, when I have them, will have it easier than my parents, but I am a little worried about what they will learn about their religion. I see how my family has changed over the years and it is less observant.
1. Ronica Yomtoubian
2. DeAnza Junior College (Cupertino, CA)
3. No. (Baruch HaShem)
4. Yes, I had to drop a class and receive a "w" on my transcript because my English / Writing professor, who thought of himself as God, was a very overbearing teacher that really "challenged" his students to think critically. He wanted to make me a "good Jew" and once he asked me for my "Jewish perspective." Also, he told me that he was a billionaire, which I verified and he is, and he would put all of his money and family savings towards the Palestinian fund! The next class period he brought me a National Magazine article that explained his convictions. After this experience I no longer felt that he was grading me by my work but judging my mind and beliefs / religion. He told me I need to think more about the situation in the Middle East and learn my history and Tanach better! I was denied a decent grade that reflected my work in class. The second to last week it got so bad I just dropped it.
5. Being that I am a Ba'al Teshuvah, I find it much harder to live a Jewish life than my parents. My parents lived in Jewish communities all their lives and had resources there if they needed them. But once they moved to the west coast, Jewish communities were and still are not as vibrant. I am realizing how important it is to be apart of a Jewish community that has the resources that fit your level of observance.
1. Melissa Raiken
2. The George Washington University (Washington DC)
3. No
4. No
5. I think that my children will have about the same experience as me.
1. Neal Hicks
2. Southwest Tech (Fennimore, WI)
3. I have a bumper sticker on my car that says "I SUPPORT ISRAEL," some body ran keys down the length of it. So far I have not had any verbal / physical anti-Semitism.
4. Not yet.
5. No children. But in this part of the U.S. it is still a little backwards. Maybe I can do a little bit to change some peoples minds. With G-d's help.
[Posted 8/21/02]
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KOACH College Outreach is a project of
The United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism. |
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