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Navigate religion for yourself, not the people around you
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Since I was born, I’ve been getting up every Sunday to go to church. And every Sunday since my parents were born, they’ve been attending church with their parents. It always felt so normal, a part of my routine and nothing that felt uncustomary. Up until eighth grade, I also attended a private Christian…
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I am plagued by an irrational fear of death
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For as long as I can remember, the lingering fear of death has consumed my every waking moment. Uncertainty of what happens after death and feeling as if I have no control has tormented me my whole life. Anxiety surrounding death prevents me from sleeping at night, as each time I close my eyes,…
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Dark humor fails to excuse racism
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I have often been labeled as “too sensitive” to the jokes my peers make, so I tend to keep my mouth shut when I am frustrated with what they have to say. But when an acquaintance looked me dead in the eye to tell me that he hates Black people, then paused and giggled…
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Family traditions keep memories alive
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My childhood was full of magical traditions filled with family and joy. Recently, I turned 17-years-old, and I realized just how much of my childhood has passed me by. So many of my old traditions have now turned into beloved memories of the past. So much of what I looked forward to as a…
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December birthdays are overshadowed by the holidays
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At first glance, it seems that being born in December would be a lot of fun, but you would be very mistaken. Once Halloween ends, everyone and their mother starts celebrating Christmas. Even though I do enjoy the holiday and all of the fun it brings, I would enjoy having my birthday separate from…
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The war in Gaza is not complex
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I have always been proud to be Jewish. But at the age of 14, I had to reckon with the fact that my Jewishness could be stripped away from me if I announced an opinion deemed wrong by other Jewish people. In 2021, I learned about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the first time. I…
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The goodbye that I never thought would come
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From the age of two to the age of six, I shared a room with my sister. We lived at my grandparents’ house for the first three years, and she had the top bunk. Most of our nights were spent in my mom’s room with the pink walls. My grandma and grandpa would tell…
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Why is everyone so scared of sincerity?
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With the Oscars just around the corner, inevitably it is another year where Jimmy Kimmel gets to stand onstage and talk about how much he hates all the movies that are nominated. “Wasn’t ‘Oppenheimer’ long?” he asks the grinning audience of celebrities and seat-fillers. Long gone are the days of celebrating movies at the…
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Column: Sephora kids are the product of social media
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As long as humans have existed there have been trends. From rainbow looms to the Sephora craze of today, there has always been something for little girls to compete in. Believe me, I am not innocent of judging someone based on silly trends. I remember sitting in the elementary school play yard, trading rainbow…
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Column: For Auld Lang Syne
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“For Old Times Sake,” I had told myself, amid a long-winded contemplative breath. I anticipated what would lay on the other side of that door-the entrance to my estranged father’s home. After leaving home at 15 years old, three Christmases passed without seeing my own father. While trying to rekindle a relationship with him…