Personal Narrative: My Judaism

The results from my summary reveal that my number one personal value is religious. I was not surprised by the outcome at all because I am very much into my religion. I love to have my own time when I can sit back and read my bible in peace and reflect back over what I just read. Leaning on the Bible gives me a sense of peace, and it reassures me that I can face and overcome any obstacles.

our loud booms echo throughout the stone house. “Open the door!” a man would yell. Five kids and the parents quickly run over to the door. The father opens the door while the kids and the wife peek over his shoulder and legs. An intimidating IDF soldier roars, “We are taking over your house and you must leave within the night. If you refuse you will be jailed and/or your house will be demolished with you in it or not.” The family is forced to leave within the night in the fear that their lives would end. This is common in Palestine: Israeli soldiers taking occupied land. Palestinians that experience this take their ID’s and official documents with them. Barely anytime is left to the family to pack their belongings. I am a Palestinian, and even though I haven’t dealt with this firsthand, my parents and grandparents have dealt with this.

Before I begin this assignment, let me clarify, I am not Jewish in any way.

At the beginning of sixth grade, I met my two future best friends, and I did not like them. I found one boring, the other frustrating and hard to understand. I couldn’t connect with the first, and I didn’t want to bother trying to get to know the second. Not long after, however, we became inseparable. So now it’s the three of us— my Jewish identity, mathematics, and me.

Whether it's trying strange food like quail eggs, searching for bargains at flea markets, or singing Broadway songs at the top of our lungs, my aunt, Lisa Vogel, and I have enjoyed many unique experiences together and developed a very close relationship. Lisa lives close to Minneapolis and she is a teacher at a special needs program for students after high school. She is very involved in theatre, loves to sing, is involved at her church, is a great cook (and hey, I definitely benefit from her marvelous fettuccini alfredo), enjoys craft projects, and especially loves her nieces and nephews and her dog Lulu Cupcake. Lisa is so important to me because of the inspiration she gives me, her caring and loving nature, and the experiences we've had

I have held numerous leadership roles, such as being captain of the volleyball team all four years of high school. I believe that having this experience demonstrates my ability to be a leader in a group of my peers. I also was an orientation leader for three years where I was showing new students the ins and outs of our school. This experience will help me when I would be training new employees.

Being a leader has great rewards to it and one of them for me is the fact that I know I have the trust of others because of my reputation and seeing those people succeed and be happy because my actions and efforts are being put

Being president of the MGC council not only taught me leadership skills, but it also helped me realize my potential. If I were asked during freshman year of college if I would make a good leader, I would have been unsure. I valued aspects of leaderships such as good communication, teamwork, and taking on responsibility. However, I would have been hesitant to call myself a good leader because of my lack of confidence, fear of public speaking, and working under pressure. While I held the position during my junior year, I found that the obstacles became easier. Consistently talking in front of others facilitated my public speaking skills and increased my confidence. Being organized and seeking help lessened the stress. It was also rewarding to

Judaism is not being born into a Jewish home, but spending your life learning, teaching, and transmitting. The five books of the Torah teach the foundation to how the Jewish people evolved over years of prosperity. Following the books of Torah, and being a part of the Jewish faith requires several different rules, or commandments, to be followed. There are expectations to be met and a life time of traditions to be learned, for instance, the holidays and how to pray and recite prayers in a certain manner. These traditions can only be taught from doing and watching generations of loved ones partake in God’s will. For the past several months, I have experienced these traditions and teachings through the eyes of Orthodox Jews. An analysis of the

Leadership; a trait that's been practiced for generations, creating a foundation where anyone can take action and create a plan or idea that can help our society's wellbeing, even if nothing is given in return. However leadership is not a skill that is perfected within a single night, on the other hand it's a trait that is gained throughout time. Being that, when I first began high school I never thought that I would be able to exhibit this vigorous position. I am usually the quite kid in the corner who never speaks and someone who is always shy to be in front of a big crowd. But it all took a turn when I was given the opportunity to become part of the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program at school, Secretary of Flag club, and take part

Growing up in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by sameness. Everyone had the same skin color, the same religion, the same financial situations, the same interests, eventually people even started to look the same. While on the surface I seamlessly blended in with the others, there was something that separated me more than most would think. I was born into a Jewish family, and my mother instilled in my sister and I from a young age to be active in our religion. We went to sunday school for ten years and now are both assistants in the classes, we joined Jewish youth groups, we both had our Bat Mitzvahs and our Confirmation services, and I teach Hebrew to students weekly. Being a Jew has always been a constant in my life.

According to tradition, we say at the end of the Seder night the request "Next year in Jerusalem!". So what happens if I live in Jerusalem? Do you say "this year in Jerusalem!" Just skip it? You can be miles away from Jerusalem, even if you live there. On the other hand, you can be on the other side of the world but very close to Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem is more than a geographical location. Jerusalem is an ideal for which we struggle. The Jewish story can be summed up as a long journey from Egypt to Jerusalem. Beyond being geographic sites, Egypt and Jerusalem symbolize two opposite spiritual states. This journey is a journey of spiritual tribulations. Both as a nation and as individuals, we have always lived the slavery of Egypt and marched towards freedom in the Promised Land.

I had several other job experiences that have helped me fine tune my leadership and organizational skills. First, I was a leader of a childrens weekend group in which I had to prepare the program for over 20 kids. In the last four summers, I was a day camp counselor. . Additionally, I did a Chabbibi program, which is a big little sister program that helps younger students navigate their way though high scholl. .These leadership roles developed my ability to work and communicate with other people and children of all ages.

Most religions at the time had gods who asked for sacrifices and large temples built in their honor and fought amongst each other like humans. Our God was not one of those gods, asking mainly for proper moral behavior. There may have been no further reason to behave humanely than to please your God, and avoid the punishments dealt by him such as tsaraat. Still, for the time this was a radical improvement. The Jews were one of, if not, the first people to have a God that looked for the goodness in people instead of the goodness of their sacrifices or gifts to the Lord or whatever gods and/or goddesses they worshipped. My Torah portion shows this legacy of Judaism.

Judaism is among the oldest of the world's major living religious cultures of the Jewish. Rich in culture and history Judaism is the first of three (including Christianity and Islam) monotheistic religions; teaching in the belief in one God. There is a cultural and religious spirit that contributes to the characterization of the Jewish people and the Jewish lifestyle. Influenced by Jewish history, the Jewish festival of Purim is celebration of deliverance from Haman’s plot to massacre the Jewish people and is observed differently within the contemporary branches of Judaism.