A Jewish Journey of Identity and Courage

Chapter 10 Emma

“I can’t believe it!” I exclaimed when David called to tell me what happened in his meeting with the principal. Just a day after the last JCC workshop, David texted me out of the blue. I was surprised, not just that he reached out, but by the news he shared—he finally opened up to his parents! Since then, he’d been keeping me updated about the meeting with the principal, and I was eager to hear how it all turned out. “And Marcus is going to miss the game of the season!” David added, his excitement clear in his voice. “How did your lecture go?” I was taken aback that he remembered. I had given my lecture on Israel today during geography class. “It went great! The teacher said she was surprised by some of the things I shared. I think she didn’t even realize how small Israel is,” I said proudly. I hadn’t mentioned to David just how nervous I was—I barely slept the night before. My heart raced during the lecture, and without my presentation, I wouldn’t have remembered anything. “Israel has a way of making itself seem like a huge country,” David laughed. “People think we’re all billionaires just because they meet a few Israelis.” “The best part is that everyone accepted me. They know who I am and where I come from. I even shared that I read Torah.” To my surprise, Karen had agreed to let me show photos from her Bat Mitzvah, so I could illustrate what reading the Torah looks like. It meant a lot to me to show that girls can read it too. “Amazing! I can’t wait to see how Marcus reacts when he hears he has to give a lecture now.” We both laughed. It felt great to share these experiences with

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