Hi, my name is Olivia Reznik, and I am Jewish. Judaism can be defined as a religion, a culture, a people, and so much more. Every day, my identity dictates how I think, what I do, and what I say. As a religion, it compels me to believe that in the end, the greater good will win. It instills a faith in me that I put into whatever higher power there may be and in those around me. More times than not, I give people the benefit of the doubt, and and while others may call it naïve, I call it faith. Judaism is also a culture. It is lighting candles on Friday nights and bouncing chairs and its occupants up and down at every party. It's a way to celebrate what we have in the present and never forget what we lacked in the past. It gives its followers a sense of community and familiarity. Oh, you're Jewish too? Is often a line that leads to friendship. The value of community and family is the one I hold above all because I know the importance of support and teamwork- especially when making last minute runs to the store for more matzo and potato latkes only to have to call my mom to see what kind to get. Lastly, Jews are also a people that have faced the hardest of times and continue embrace each day. The Jewish people have taught me to see the world in a realistic light yet to never hesitate to help another in need. Tikkun Olam, the concept of repairing the world with kindness, digs deep in the roots of the Jewish people. The values and beliefs I grew up with have shaped me to the person I am today, and through my travels to the death camps in Poland and the beautiful Dead Sea in Israel, I have truly come to identify with something so much larger than myself.

While there were those before me who were ordered to wear a star or forced to hide it, I have the ability to choose to wear it everyday. Unfortunately in today’s world there are still those who are forced to hide their identity, Jewish or not, to survive. Judaism has has taught me to not settle for a world with such hate but to instead strive to making the world a better place.