I suddenly wondered why I was trying so hard to erase the one feature that connected me to my family and culture. That thought made me pause, and I put the blow dryer down.

As I navigate life as a Jewish teenager, I hope to think of myself as something of a modern-day Rebecca, but one with the permission to read Torah and the drive to interpret it.

I am a Jewish feminist, whether or not the charms on my necklace hide. They are always with me, reminding me of who I am and who came before me.

When I light candles on Shabbat, using the same candlesticks that my ancestors lit over 100 years prior, I feel connected to everyone who has come before me.

Just like my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mom, I try to advocate for people and voice my opinions every day. 

The communal summer camp hangers passed hands, traveled across state lines, and held dresses for girls who just wanted to feel beautiful with the help of their friends.

I began to see her devotion not as carelessness, but as care expressed in movement, in improvisation, in insisting on presence rather than perfection.

When my grandmother took me to buy a tallit, she was helping me have the experience I deserved, the same as any Jew who is coming of age.  

When I stand in front of the Torah scroll, I want to be an inspiration for girls to step into a space that men have historically dominated. 

Zine by Margaret Lockman

Paula Vogel's play, Indecent, explores relationships against the backdrop of assimilation, antisemitism, and censorship. 

Writing is not only an easy way to share a message, but it is also an act of resistance.

When we allow all members of our community to celebrate their way of being Jewish, we create a more accepting environment for everyone.