Belief/Religion
“I am not my Judaism”
Although my mother is Greek Orthodox and my father is Jewish, my parents decided to raise my my younger brother and I in the Jewish faith. Even though my father had married a woman who isn’t Jewish, he didn’t want to be the broken link in the long chain of Jewish tradition. It was extremely … Read more
“I am not my pants”
I am an observant Jewish woman who wears pants. It was after careful study and consideration of halacha (Jewish law) that I made the choice to wear pants. Finding myself judged for such a personal decision is a struggle for me. People forget that modest dress is no more important than halachot (laws) about treating … Read more
“I am not my fraternity”
To understand is greater than to know, to teach is smarter than to show. To listen is a talent while hearing is to grow, while lacking own faith leaves you in a hole. It can take everything you have to create a fresh start, breaking down, building up, is a very fine art. Not everyone … Read more
“I am not my identity”
I was born in Ukraine in 1985, taking my first breath in the last gasps of the Soviet regime, before the country became independent. The city I lived in, Odessa, was considered an urbane cultural epicenter, bountifully spiced with humor and human fervor. A modern day “Ville Idéale,” Odessa welcomed Jewish intellectuals, Western European expats, … Read more