In my early childhood, being Jewish was a huge part of both my community and identity. I was born in Los Angeles, California to two practicing Jewish parents. While my parents each have their own outlook on their beliefs, they both felt it necessary that their children were raised within the Jewish community. From Preschool through early elementary school, I went to a Jewish day school surrounded by people and families with the same beliefs as mine, where all of my friends shared my religion and we were a part of a very vibrant community. However, all of this changed when we uprooted all the way across the country to Jacksonville, Florida the summer before my Second Grade year. Even at such a young age, I immediately felt the differences in my new community. My parents sent my brother and I to a secular school, since there was no adequate Jewish day school in our new city. This change also meant that I had to start going to a new temple, and now for the first time, Sunday School. Though this new community was welcoming, it felt small and hidden away, especially compared to what I was used to. Soon I had to acclimate to a large part of my new life, friends and strangers, not recognizing what my religion meant within a greater context. For example, a close friend of mine, who even happened to be at my Bat Mitzvah (I was the only person in my class of 150 to have one), consistently reaches out to me to wish me a “Happy Easter” or “Merry Christmas” every year. Not to be funny, just that he does not comprehend what it means to be Jewish, like the many people in my new community. It annoyed me at first, but I soon got used to it, as it became quite predictable.

When it came to deciding where I wanted to go to college, I knew that I wanted to go far from Jacksonville and its way of life. I toured schools all over the Northeast and the West Coast. Although Jewish life did not impact my search or decision, my Dad did like to add a spot in my college spreadsheet that noted each school’s Jewish population. Though I did know that I wanted to find a community like that I had back in Los Angeles. Right now, March of 2025, I am finishing up my freshman year at the University of Washington in Seattle. When I first got to school, I wanted to participate in all of Hillel’s “Welcome Week” activities, but I was so scared to go by myself, and I had no idea what I would be getting into. Finally, I forced one of my non-Jewish friends to accompany me to the first Shabbat of the year, since I felt an obligation to go. We ended up meeting an amazing group of people, who I still consider my close friends even months later, and stayed the whole night until Hillel was practically begging us to leave. Since then, I have gone to High Holiday services, and Shabbat dinner almost every week. Moral of the story is I found the Jewish community at UW that I knew I was missing, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

Image Source: https://depts.washington.edu/qcons/where-we-work/