Leaving home for college helped me realize I could be Jewish and Chinese.
“My dad is Jewish, and my mom is Chinese. Growing up, I noticed I was different from others in Boulder, Colorado.”
Hillel Stories
What’s happening on campus? Hear from students, professionals, and Hillel community members whose lives have been impacted by Hillel and who impact the world with their voices and stories. Share your story with us!
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As I continue embracing my Blackness, I know there’s also room to embrace my Judaism.
“I am biracial. My dad is Black and Christian, and my mom is white and Jewish.”
Jews of Color have always been in the picture. We’re just easily overlooked and undermined.
“My freshman year, I joined Hillel Race Talks, a committee to keep conversations about diversity in the Jewish community alive on the Brandeis campus.”
Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my experiences as a Jewish woman.
“Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my own experiences as a Jewish woman. I learned that the more we embrace different traditions and listen to different perspectives, the more we can learn and grow.”
I had lost sight of how important Judaism was to me. Hillel helped me remember that.
“After I became a bat mitzvah, I let Judaism fade into the background of my life.”
People always ask me what kind of Jew I am. I’m just a Mizrahi Jew, and that’s good enough.
“People would always ask me what kind of Jew I was. Orthodox? Conservative? Reform? I always said, ‘I’m just a Mizrahi Jew, and that’s good enough.’”
I always feel the most connected with my Judaism when I’m in nature.
“I always feel the most in touch with my Judaism when I’m in nature, surrounded by trees, on the beach, taking hikes, watching the sunrise and sunset.”
Raised in a Persian Jewish community, I was surrounded by people who shared my culture.
“I didn’t expect to find such a vibrant Persian Jewish community at Berkeley Hillel.”
As a cadet in Charleston, I was worried I wouldn’t see another Jewish person.
I knew South Carolina didn’t have a big Jewish population, and I was worried I wouldn’t see another Jewish person for the next four years.
I realized I can be Jewish and queer. One identity doesn’t negate the other.
“When I came out as nonbinary, I distanced myself from my Jewish community. I wasn’t sure how people would react.”
