MY GREAT JEWISH JOURNEY (Thus Far, in Brief)
MY GREAT JEWISH JOURNEY (Thus Far, in Brief)
Why I am the way I am and how I got here today. For further details, you'll have to ask my therapist.
1993 - A star is born.
2005 - A woman is born: I had my Bat Mitzvah. My party was butterfly themed.
2011 - I went to college and my brother joined the IDF. (Me: Israel? Where is that on a map again??)
2012 - I visited Israel for the first time thanks to Birthright AND became co-president of my campus's Israel Student Association AND became the engagement chair of my Hillel. It was a busy year.
2013 - The shawarma was so good, I visited Israel again, this time with Hasbara Fellowships.
2014 - I became prez of the Israel Student Association, running events, partnering with other student groups on campus, writing op eds, and creating community.
2015 - I graduated from college - time to focus less on Israel and focus on getting a job! Moved to Washington, DC.
2016 - Attended my first Moishe House event, kicking off the next four years of being "socially Jewish", and trying to find my tribe.
2017 - Was christened Jewish Instagrammer of the Week by GatherDC. That was when I peaked. Also went on my first (and only) Jewish camping trip with them.
2018 - Married my two loves of marketing and Judaism and became the deputy director of communications at an Israel policy think tank. Hosted my first Shabbat dinner as a Moishe House Without Walls host. Checked Jewish mindfulness retreat and adult Jewish summer camp off my list.
2019 - Traveled to India with JDC Entwine where I met the Mumbai Jewish community and wrote an article about it. I did Fuel for Truth because I hadn't added enough Jewish organizations to my resume. Moved to NYC and started a marketing job at a Jewish nonprofit.
2020 - We don't speak of this.
2021 - Became a fellow with Manhattan Jewish Experience. This led to a shift from being "socially Jewish" to exploring more of my "intellectually Jewish" self.
2022 - Started my current job as a marketing manager at another Jewish nonprofit that is rife with Jewish learning opportunities. Became a community rep with JDC Entwine - throwback to 2019!
In 2022 I also began this project, because as you can see, I have a collection of Jewish experiences spanning 20 years which I've been soaking up like a Jewish sponge. That should have been the name of this blog: The Jewish Sponge. My Jewish circles are many a Venn diagram - the Olympics logo if you will - and I've been at the center of them all, whether I planned to be there or not: the far-left, the far-right, the Zionist, the spiritual, the Orthodox, the “just Jewish,” the self-loathing, the self-loving, the Israeli, the Indian, the ex-Hasidic, the current Hasidic. Once I even found myself at Chabad headquarters on Simchat Torah - talk about losing and finding yourself again!
Anyway, there's always more self-exploring to do. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoy writing about it.