16.
The Intersectionalist which the media reports on the disabled community and give a voice to disabled people. I wanted to change the perception of my community, so I decided to attend Emerson College and major in journalism. Through the articles I’ve written and the organizations
I’ve joined, I finally found my voice. I don’t fit the Indian standard or the able-bodied standard, and I’m learning to be okay with that. It’s taken a while, but I’m realizing that I don’t need to live up to standards that are unattainable for the body I live in. I do not exist to
be perceived by the abled-bodied gaze. I exist solely for me—by my own standards.
L’shana Tova from the Duck Pond By Leah Jablo My favorite custom of the Jewish High Holiday season has always been Tashlik. It’s a ceremony that can be done anytime between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. For this ritual, one symbolically casts their sins into a body of water. You stand at the water’s edge with bits of bread in hand and think of the ways you’ve done wrong in the past year. Then, toss a piece in for each sin to be rinsed away. Perhaps, I didn’t start the year off on the right foot. Instead of tossing my metaphorical bread-sins away at Boston Harbor or The Charles River Esplanade as one should, I threw them into the lagoon at the Public Garden. My Jew-friends and I were too lazy to walk too far, so we just let the local ducks swallow our sins whole. L'shana Tova and my deepest apologies, duckies. Next year, I’ll repent for that, too. Just a little context for all my gentile friends reading this whilst
scratching their heads: L’shana Tova is Hebrew for “Happy New Year.” This year’s Jewish High Holiday
season has now come to a close. Time to turn your calendars to year 5780.
