Joan Marcus and Nora Marcus-Hecht

She/hers

Can you describe how you embrace your Jewish identity?

Nora: Last year, I wrote an essay in one of my classes about my experience with Judaism. That essay eventually became my senior project, a memoir about my relationship with Judaism. I planned on putting it away for a while, but then I went on Birthright, and ever since, thinking about how I embrace Judaism has been on my mind constantly. On that trip, we talked a lot about what it means to be Jewish, and it was fascinating to hear everyone's different perspectives. I used to worry that I wasn't really Jewish because I don't keep kosher or observe the Sabbath. However, seeing how many of my peers and new friends felt that you could be Jewish regardless of your religious observance or belief in God made me feel much more confident in my relationship with Judaism. Also, growing up in a non-religious household, I found that humor was a great way to connect with my Jewish identity. Watching comedians like Jessica Kirson and Jenny Slate talk about their Jewish identities has made me more comfortable with my identity and how I celebrate being Jewish, even if it's not in the traditional sense.

Joan: One way that I embrace my identity is through my politics. My grandparents were communists, and my politics are deeply connected to my Jewishness. I think it's kind of hard to separate Jewishness from my type of progressive beliefs and my feelings about equity. Some things will just make me angry. For example, I told students in one of my classes the other day how much I hate the Pledge of Allegiance. I mean, it just makes me furious - especially the 'under God' part, when we're such a diverse country with so many nonbelievers. And so many things in America are unfair! Things like mass incarceration and how we fund our public schools based on property taxes. Much of my perspective comes from being an ethnoreligious minority, having that sense of being an outsider looking in.

My husband and I have mixed feelings about participating in religious celebrations and services. He is an avowed atheist and has never felt comfortable in any congregation where God was mentioned. I don't feel that way. But we still try to find ways to celebrate our Jewish identity. For example, we always celebrate Passover with friends or on our own. We resist joining institutions, but we also long for community. So there's a sort of push-pull with longing for community and feeling like we want to embrace our identity as an outsider.