My View Of My Jewish Identity - 952 Words

In my experience emerging in a country where most people look and act a certain way, while I am the outlier thanks to my different looks and traditions, has made me a minority. Being born in Mexico City from a Jewish family that immigrated from Poland two generations ago, and then going to college in Texas, has made me feel the differences of being lets say, â€Å"different†. When I started going to elementary school I went to the mostly catholic American School, where most kids would bully me based on my looks and traditions. The kids would call me stereotypical Jewish insults such as greedy, big nose and the one that I felt was the worst Christ killer. Everyday when I went to school I was reminded of my Jewish identity, even though most of the things they called me where not true I was still reminded that I was a minority amongst them and my only possible role in that situation was to take the heat. Another moment when I was clearly reminded of my Jewish identity while atten ding elementary school was, when the religious holidays approached. My mother had to go to the school in advance to ask if I could miss school those particular days, they generally said that I could miss one, maybe two days. When I came back to school from those holidays the kids would always ask me ignorant questions such as why do I not believe in the real god and why do I wear that hat (kippah) when I go to pray. I would generally simply differ the questions by answering that my parents would force meShow MoreRelatedRecognition Of Identity : American Culture1586 Words   |  7 PagesRecognition of Identity in American Culture Where are you come from? Where is your family? Questions like this can be sensitive, paradoxical and intimate to people’s identity and their social locations. In America, we come from variety of cultural backgrounds and consist of different types of community based on religion. 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