Celebrating Jewish Life

Charlotte Jewish News May 2022

By Penina Polsky - Celebrating Jewish Youth Essay Contest Winner

What does it mean to celebrate Jewish life? Judaism means something different for everybody, so there is no true way to define “Jewish life.” To some people it may mean lighting candles every Friday night for Shabbat, and to others it may mean going to temple every night and morning and saying prayers in between. I think that some people would think the answer to this question of what it means to be Jewish would be believing

in G-d. A lot of Jewish people do not even believe there is an all-knowing higher power, and that’s okay! For me though, being Jewish means living by many morals of the Torah and showing (in your own way) that you care about fulfilling them.

My first core moral, that I believe is the most important, is emunah, which translates to trustworthiness. Something that I strongly value is having good relationships with my friends and family, and that is something that cannot exist without trust. Not only that, but without having trust in one’s life, it can be hard to open up to new people. Being trustworthy connects to being reliable. Doing what you say you’ll do is one of the hardest, but also most important, tasks in a person’s life. Being a Jew with a lot of emunah is what I consider to be someone who is celebrating Jewish life.

Kehillah means community in Hebrew, and I think this goes hand-in-hand with trustworthiness. How can you build a strong community if you cannot trust each other? Community is something that has always been very important to the Jewish people. For most Jews, a community is a space for them to keep their culture thriving. Being a part of a bigger “family” (although not blood related) can be helpful for a lot of people to be able to talk about the struggles, hardships, but also successes of being Jewish. If the Jews had not stuck together as a community while they were enslaved in Egypt or under the rule of evil kings, we would have never found a way out of every destitution. In present day, it is crucial for us to stay together as a secure community because of all the antisemitic hate crimes and even the constant micro-aggressions. We are stronger together.

Last, I believe that to celebrate Jewish life is to have empathy and compassion for others — chesed. As the Jewish people, who have endured so many hardships, it is our job to care and show empathy for others, especially other minorities. If we treat others with disrespect and hatred, it gives them a reason to do the same to us. As a young Jew, I strongly believe in the rule of treating others the way you want to be treated, whether that is other individuals or racial, religious, or gender groups. This is an idea that Jews have been following since the beginning of time, and we learn that by hearing stories passed down through the Torah.

So, to answer the question what does it mean to celebrate Jewish life, there is no clear answer and there probably never will be. Everyone views Judaism differently, and every Jew lives with life differently, as we are supposed to. In my life, I show my Judaism by following the core values that were given to us in the Torah. When I get the chance and am feeling hopeful, I say a prayer, but who knows if it will be heard. I know for myself, I will feel most complete by following these morals, and that is what I believe it means to celebrate Jewish life, doing what fulfills you the most, as a Jew.

My name is Penina Polsky and I am an eighth grader and Randolph IB Middle School. I moved to Charlotte when I was six years old, and immediately found that I was always at the JCC. My first experience with a community was becoming a part of the JStage family, where I learned so much about theater, the arts, and most importantly, myself! I have continued to perform at the JCC and am now a part of BBYO and have taken classes at Hebrew High. The Jewish Community Center has been a great space for me to show my Judaism and express it in the way that I most feel comfortable.