Isaac Schneider

He/him

“Throughout high school, I was very involved in my Jewish community, but things changed when my sister was diagnosed with cancer. My family had always been close with our rabbi, who was more like a family friend to us. We had seen how the community rallied around him when his youngest son was diagnosed with leukemia, which stuck with me. So when my sister got sick, our congregation relocated, and our rabbi started a much smaller congregation. It wasn't the same core group of people, but it was still a strong community we were a part of.

During my freshman year of high school, my sister was diagnosed with leukemia, and we became very involved with Chai Lifeline Midwest, an organization that supports families with seriously ill children. Chicago, where I'm from, has a large Orthodox Jewish community, and Lurie Children's Hospital is located there, so many families were naturally involved with Chai Lifeline. Within a few weeks, we were informally assigned to three or four families, and we did everything with them.

Being involved with Chai Lifeline changed my life in many ways. My family spent significant time with the families we were assigned to and the Chai Lifeline staff in general. Even though we weren't necessarily doing anything specifically Jewish, the people we were with were inherently Jewish, which made me feel connected to my faith differently. It also exposed me to a different way to practice Judaism. Chai Lifeline reminded me that Judaism is about more than just going to synagogue or observing holidays. It's about being part of a community and supporting each other, even during the most difficult times.

Since high school, my relationship with my Jewish identity and how it interacts with other aspects of my identity has also evolved. I used to feel like my trans and Jewish identities were such distinct parts of myself that they couldn't possibly fit together. But in college, I’ve had more agency to explore my relationship with Judaism on my own terms, and I’ve taken the opportunity to understand how my identities can intersect. As I’ve become more comfortable with my trans identity, I’ve realized it is just another part of who I am, and the tension has somewhat dissipated. Of course, it’s still there, but I believe it's possible to hold multiple identities and find ways for them to coexist.

As a musician, my Jewish identity has significantly impacted my love for music. Jewish culture places a high value on music, and many Jewish students are encouraged to pursue music beyond what is typically required in American public schools. Even if the music isn't specifically Jewish, the emphasis on music in Jewish homes and culture at large has influenced my love for music. As a music education major and a musician, I feel that my Jewish identity and my passion for music are two chiefly important identities to me.

Looking back, I never thought I would be the President of my Hillel or serving on the Hillel International Student Cabinet, especially considering that just a few years ago, I did not feel particularly qualified for such positions. However, these experiences have enriched my life, and I suspect my engagement with Judaism will continue evolving.”

“Growing up, I was not very observant at all, and I didn't have any ways to practice. I was the only open Jewish person in my high school and had no Jewish friends. So it was kind of just me until I met another Jewish friend. I went to her house and celebrated Hanukkah and Purim together. That was my first real taste of Judaism since pre-school at the JCC. At about the same time, I learned that my great-grandparents fled Ukraine after the Holocaust. My great-grandfather didn't tell my grandmother that she was Jewish until the '90s when he had a big health scare. That was when my grandmother became in touch with Judaism. Hearing this story made me want to carry on the tradition my ancestors couldn't.

I knew that I wanted to get more serious about Judaism in college, and Ithaca’s large Jewish population was one of the reasons I decided to come here. At Ithaca, I'm doing things I never thought I would do, like observing Shabbat, finding my place, and discovering what being Jewish means to me.

Defining my relationship with Judaism and the community has been a very interesting journey. I am Hispanic, Latino, and Jewish, and I've struggled greatly with feeling out of place in both communities. I’ve felt at odds with Jewish communities because there's a very small portion of Hispanic and Latino Jews and because they’re mostly Ashkenazi. This makes it difficult to find the intersection of my identities, like learning Ladino instead of Yiddish. And with my Hispanic side, I didn't grow up Catholic, so I didn't know anything. So, not knowing where I fit in has been weird for me, but I’ve realized that despite feeling this way, I definitely can find good pieces from both and put them together in my way.

Putting these pieces of my identity together has pulled me more toward Judaism. Learning about the rich history of queer theology in Judaism and finding a large community of queer Jews has opened my eyes. I've realized that being transgender and queer and being a Jew can absolutely work together. My Jewish journey has allowed me to decide which pieces are and aren't for me and discover a rich history, which I get to be a part of."