Leor Weber ………………………………………… 38

Leor Weber

he/him

Growing up, I very much rejected my Judaism, because it was something that felt forced upon me by my parents, and I was the kid that didn't want to do what my parents wanted me to do.

I hadn't really thought about the whole basis of Judaism being about questioning until I took a class freshman year about early Jewish

civilization. And, we talked a lot about the origins of traditions and Jewish texts, like the Talmud and Kabbalah, and I like how there are practices that are super important to Judaism that started with people debating the meaning of stuff. And, I liked that it was a discussion rather than a finite thing, and how it's being updated often.

I think the biggest thing that Judaism has taught me is that it's perfectly fine to do things your own way and come to the same conclusions with a crazy, different journey. I would say, my Judaism came alive outside. Nature has always been a part of my identity. I’m an environmental studies major, I'm in the rock climbing club, and all of my summers were spent outdoors. At camp, we spent a lot of time appreciating nature through a Jewish lens, so the two concepts feel very entangled. And now, that I have begun to reflect on the common themes in my life, I’m

realizing that Judaism is often the connector.