4 MAY 16, 2014 JEWISH NEWS JEWISHAZ.COM

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Hebrew High grads pen essays about their Jewish identity

the opportunities and experiences that make me who I am.

So I may not know everything about who I am, but that godly connection I had looked so hard for, was right in front of me and all it took was for me to accept and embrace who I am; a curly-haired, instrument-playing, country music-loving, teenage Jewish girl.

Feeling connected to Jewish rootsAs someone who went through 10 years of Jewish

day school, I never really struggled to keep up with practicing, learning about and appreciating Judaism.

However, as I entered a public high school, I feared that I would lose a part of my Jewish identity. Hebrew High helped me with that. Not only did it allow me to keep up with my Hebrew and the Jewish values that I had been taught for years before, but I was introduced to new and more advanced topics that gave me the chance to consider and debate certain issues.

Classes like Contemporary Issues, Turmoil in the Middle East and Jews in the Media have connected me to current events. Other classes such as Conversational Hebrew and a class dedicated to learning about the Holocaust have strengthened my connection to Juda-ism’s history, and have solidified my Jewish identity.

In addition, I was confirmed along with members of my congregation during my time at Hebrew High.

The last four years have allowed me to stay engaged with Jewish issues and topics and hold onto some-

O n May 13, 20 high school seniors graduated from the Bureau of Jewish Education’s Hebrew High. For their senior essays, the students were asked to write on the topic, “Who Am I and What Will I Be?” Here are excerpts from Roberta Harmon’s first-place winning essay, and

from essays by Leah Merrall and Liana Sherman, who tied for second place.

thing that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have solidified connections with longtime friends, and have met other Jews in my community who I did not know before, but hope to stay connected with them for years to come.

Right now, I feel like I am connected to and aware of my Jewish roots. I hope to hold onto that, and hopefully I can take the things I learned in Hebrew High with me as I venture into the future.

Eager to make a difference From a very young age, religion and language

accompanied me on my childhood adventures. At synagogue, my ears and eyes swept in glorious

prayers in Hebrew and biblical stories in English. I am grate-ful for my family, for my faith blossomed from the lessons and relationships I cherish with my grandparents, parents, brother and sister.

My education proved momen-tous in my life. The heartwarm-ing songs that told of ancestors and stories demonstrating Jewish ethics during Hebrew school

years inspire me to perform acts of tikkun olam in my everyday life.

The precious experiences I have received from my time at Hebrew High inspire me to apply my knowledge and skills to think beyond myself and to dedicate my life to helping others.

On graduation day, I will enter the next chapter of my life as an educated, confident young adult eager to make a difference in the world.

Hebrew High of Greater Phoenix offers programs for students in grades 8-12 and meets at locations in Chandler, Glendale and Scottsdale. To learn more, visit bjephoenix.org.

Leah Merrall

Liana Sherman

Accepting and embracing who I amThe classes at Hebrew High really changed my

life. These classes taught me being Jewish isn’t about following rules like no bacon; being Jewish is about finding yourself and knowing who you are, where you come from and what you believe in.

Being Jewish doesn’t mean you have to pray every day, it means you choose how you should worship what you believe in. One of the things I love about Judaism

is it isn’t written in stone (no pun intended).

Instead of being shunned for not believing what everyone else does, we are encouraged to pry and question and challenge the rules and beliefs. Instead of tak-ing the rule of no bacon and just saying OK, we are encouraged to ask why. Isn’t that what being reli-gious means? To follow because you believe, don’t you have to

know why to truly, wholeheartedly believe? I know everyone grows in high school, but being

Jewish has made me grow as a person the most. I have learned through these classes what values we treasure such as respect, honesty, accountability, love, loyalty, knowledge and commitment.

I have learned to stand up for those who are differ-ent, how much my faith means to me, to do acts of tikkun olam, that my relationship with God is mine and only mine and to love myself for who I am.

I am grateful for uncovering my Jewish identity, because it has opened those doors for me, such as Hebrew High and NFTY, which provided me with

Roberta Harmon