Embracing Diversity through Self-Awareness

By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri, Columbia
KOACH E-Zine Assistant Editor

We can refrain from using derogatory terms. We can vote for affirmative action policies. We can debate the role of religion in schools. We can attend a multicultural event on our campuses. We can talk about the inequalities in our society and the need for understanding and tolerance.

Diversity is easy to support when we are talking about such basic efforts. It becomes challenging, however, when we consider the role it plays in personal development and relationships in our own lives. Our society talks a lot about government policy and regulations to promote cultural and religious understanding, but very little about the way we interact with one another.

To begin to understand the role of religion in our society, we need to first examine the role religion plays in our own lives and in our own relationships. My personal religious journey has led me to an appreciation of both segregation and integration.

It is only recently that I have begun to understand Jews as a minority group in America. After attending my synagogue preschool and Jewish Day School, I entered a heavily Jewish public school. As I met my first two non-Jewish friends, my world began to expand with curiosity. What were their lives like? How were they different from me? Would those differences hurt our friendship?

Although reflecting upon those questions in middle school was vital for my development, I did not really begun to understand religious diversity until recently. As one of the few Jews attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, I am being confronted for the first time with the reality that few people understand, let alone think about, modern Judaism. I have found myself being considered "other" and needing to explain beliefs, customs, and traditions I have never before needed to explain.

Yet, despite the relatively small percentage of Jews on campus, I find myself constantly surrounded by Jews. Most of my friends here are Jewish and most of my non-academic time is spent on Jewish programming. Even now, with so many diverse peers, why does most of my interaction involve other Jews?

A sociology class I am in recently read a book entitled Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? It discusses this phenomenon: when a group of people feels marginalized, they tend to socialize with others in similar situations. Perhaps it gives us a sense of security. Or perhaps it’s an internalization of pressure to marry within our religion and ethnicity (see Elul issue).

Maybe it’s okay. As much as we want to embrace diversity and cross religious lines, maybe we occasionally yearn for separation. Maybe by spending time with other Jewish people, we better develop our own connection to our faith. Maybe it is through such interactions that we maintain our sense of self.

I am by no means discounting the cross-cultural experience. Embracing diversity is clearly a noble effort in the advancement of society. But perhaps people of various religious groups will be more accepting of others when they are more secure with their own cultures and heritages. Maybe encouraging personal awareness will make our society more open to discussions of religious relations.

[Posted 11/1/05]