First Person

No two Jewish stories, or identities, are the same. This section reflects the spectrum of Judaism that exists among Jewish students at UC Berkeley, and allows a space for students to reflect on their relation to Judaism as a religion and as an identity.

The Israel Immersion: UC Berkeley Students Pursue Summer Internships Abroad in Israel

By Sydney Hilbush Every summer, Onward Israel takes groups of Jewish students from around the country to Israel to immerse themselves in...

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Nov 22, 20211 min read

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Loaves of Love

By Cait Ushpol Born free in post-Apartheid South Africa, I was fattened on Ubuntu by Beauty Sibisi, my illiterate, Zulu caregiver and...

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Apr 1, 20212 min read

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Embracing My Global Neighborhood

By Hallie McRae V’ahavta l’reacha kamocha— ”love your neighbor as yourself.” A proverb so true that it extends across all walks of...

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Apr 1, 20212 min read

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Sha'are Kedushah

By Moideen Moidunny Sarah and I sat on a hill and watched the magenta line tracing the Himalayan mountaintops collapse under the dark...

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Apr 1, 20213 min read

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Braiding Connections During the Pandemic, One Challah at a Time

By Sydney Hilbush On a typical Friday night before COVID, you might find sophomore Jenna Levin picnicking with her friends on Memorial...

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Apr 1, 20211 min read

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Untitled

By Philippa Steinberg It is easy to love the people you have always known, whose smiles you can see, and whose values you share. Showing...

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Apr 1, 20212 min read

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What Saves Us?

By Dara Shay As we walk down a coarsely paved sidewalk, Over time some of us slip through the cracks, Friendships, relationships, and...

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Apr 1, 20211 min read

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Remembering RBG: A Jewish Feminist Icon

By Abby Steinmetz As a Jewish woman living in America, there are few female icons that compare to the inspiration that was Justice Ruth...

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Nov 22, 20203 min read

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Finding Serenity in Shabbat

By Sydney Hilbush While the year 2020 has been overwhelming in its unpredictability, it has been a year that has similarly reconnected me...

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Nov 22, 20203 min read

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Unapologetically Jewish

By Dara Shay In an age of masks, social distancing, and turbulence, I didn’t expect to feel more connected in any way. I usually place...

aswrittenmagazine

Nov 22, 20202 min read

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Our Hats: The Kippah and Jewish Survivability

By Ron Barzilay "I, a relatively secular Jew who blends in with the rest of my UC Berkeley peers, and the Hasid who wears a black suit,...

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Sep 23, 20206 min read

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Not Really Jewish

By Lindsey Staub "I feel fully accepted by the Jewish community here at Berkeley. But more importantly, I have accepted my Jewish...

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Sep 23, 20203 min read

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The Space in Our Togetherness

By Kayla Cohen "From where, then, does the Jewish people’s sense of self arise? (From where, then, does your sense of self arise?)" Two...

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Sep 23, 20204 min read

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