A Jewish Journey of Identity and Courage

David straightened up, and all eyes turned to him, mine included. “My name is David Levitt. I’m twelve and a half,” he stated confidently. “What else can you tell us? Any interesting hobbies?” Shelly asked, smiling. “I play basketball for the Washington School team,” David added with pride. I finally noticed how tall he was; it was hard to tell when he was seated. “Very impressive, David! Now, how about you, Emma?” Shelly said, shifting the attention to me. “My name is Emma, and I’m almost twelve. I have an older sister, and I love listening to music—mostly Taylor Swift.” The girl sitting across from me beamed, and I could tell she was also a Swiftie. We already had something in common. “Thanks, Emma. Let’s keep going.” The introductions continued. Danielle mentioned she was born in Israel and had moved here two years ago. Tamir said he’d come here as a baby, but his Hebrew was quite good. “Does anyone else speak Hebrew?” Shelly asked in Hebrew. Aside from Tamir, several kids raised their hands, including the Swiftie girl, who hadn’t introduced herself yet. I didn’t raise my hand, even though I understood the question. I comprehend some Hebrew, but I don’t speak it at all. Just last night, I overheard my parents whispering in Hebrew about this workshop. I didn’t catch everything, but I understood my dad was worried about the JCC’s safety during these times of rising antisemitism in the States. My mom reassured him, convincing him that security was in place and everything would be alright. Once the introduction round concluded, Shelly declared ceremoniously, “Now it’s time for your first assignment!”

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