My Jewish Life

            In my life today, it is not very hard for me to be Jewish. I’ve grown up in a very Jewish family in a city and school system with a large Jewish population, so I’ve never felt like a minority or like my Judaism was hurting me. That said, there have definitely been instances in which my religion has affected me somewhat negatively. Even though I have many Jewish friends, my observance and dedication to Judaism are always something for me to consider. I can’t (and don’t want to) do things on holidays or on Shabbat, I keep kosher, I am very involved in my temple and in NFTY, and I have a lot of Jewish friends I like to be with when I’m not in school. For all of those reasons, my social life at home is often determined by Judaism. However, because Judaism is so important to me, when I do find myself choosing between Judaism and something else, Judaism wins most of the time. If a friend wants to hang out, and it is Passover, I would (and do) say that I’m unavailable. To me, my family and tradition are just much more important than being with friends, so it’s rarely a hard decision for me. In that regard, I feel extremely blessed. I know that many people do not have the ability to be so open about their religion, and I really love and appreciate that I can.