From A Private School Jew to FSU: My Unique Journey
Image Courtesy: Strike FSU
In the middle of my second-grade year, I was uprooted from public school in Seattle, Washington, and placed into a Jewish private school in South Florida. Having your grade shrink in size by about seventy percent is quite shell-shocking, to say the least. Before attending Jewish private school, I was not by any means religious. After all, what seven-year-old is? Prayer, dress code, and dietary restrictions were all brand new to me, and I hated them. However, over time they became the new norm for me. It became a routine for me to pray daily as well as be taught about prayer. It was not my preference to partake in these activities daily, but I did not have much of a choice. For most of my Middle and High School experience, I was part of a Jewish bubble. Meaning, my friends were all Jewish, as well as their families. I had become used to being surrounded by the same people with the same outlooks, never giving it a second thought. Upon my graduation from High School, I was more than happy to ditch the secluded bubble I was part of.
Image Courtesy: Chabad
I was ready to venture out into the world (Florida State University) and meet the vast array of unique individuals here. Unfortunately, COVID-19 put a wrinkle in my plans. Socializing as a freshman during this time was quite difficult. My roommate, also a private school Jew, and I had no choice but to use the connections we had previously made. Ultimately dragging us back into a smaller scale Jewish bubble, only this time at FSU. This was not a bad thing by any means, as it offered comfort during a time of tension. As time went on, I began befriending individuals from all walks of life, some of who had never met a Jew before. That was astonishing to me, as I had been surrounded by Jews my entire life. But those were my favorite conversations. Conversations in which two people, from completely different walks of life, shared their stories and taught each other about their beliefs. Believe it or not, it was these conversations that led me to strengthen my faith. As I became the representation of an entire religion for many. This added quite a bit of stress to my plate, but people often forget that religion does not define who you are. In this scenario, I was one of those people. Until I found myself being more similar to devout Catholics than to kids I had grown up with. You see, anybody worth befriending doesn’t care where you came from, what your social status is, what your beliefs are, and so on, and so forth. They care about respect, dependability, and kindness. Factors which you should embody as well as each of your friends. Nowadays, I am lucky enough to have found a group of friends that I can call my brothers (some Jewish, some not), despite having immensely different upbringings. Advice from a private school Jew to an FSU student, don’t stress. You’ll find your people.
Strike Out,
Writer: Lucas Zaret
Editor: Breanna Tang
Graphic Designer: Kathleen Esguerra
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