Questioning Israel’s Policies Does Not Make Me Anti-Semitic

by Yotam Pe'er

My dad is Israeli and lived in Israel for more than 25 years. My mom moved to Israel from the Soviet Union in 1990 when she was only 18. She had also lived in a small town in Serbia, a country where anti-Semitism was rampant.

Writing Contest Winners Fall 2021

Four times a year, we ask our readers to write about the impact recent stories have had on teens around the country. In Fall 2021, we had a range of responses from writers connecting to stories about peer pressure, depression, and bullying.

Writing My Way to Love

by S.G.

By S.G. Names have been changed. Although my brother Zack was a year older than I was, sometimes I felt like the big sister. I was bolder than he was and I stuck up for him when he was about to be beaten by our adoptive parents.

Wondering About Where I Fit In

by Etana Williams

For the first six years of my life, I grew up on the island of Trinidad. I spoke with an accent, pronouncing three as “tree.” I ate Carribean food like roti, aloo pies, and pelau. I was accustomed to drinking water straight out of a coconut, eating mangoes from my grandfather’s mango tree, encounters with snakes and lizards, and seeing houses in every color of the rainbow.

United by Difference in New York City

by Dominique de Castro

A heavy pot blew through a window in a flurry of wind and rain. Just like that, the seal was broken. Pop! Pop! Pop! The rest of the windows came crashing out of the walls at the same time. Torrents of rain flooded the living room and kitchen.

Caught in the Middle of an Ugly Divorce

by A.O.

I was born and raised in East Harlem near 110th and Madison. Both my parents were well known on the block; for a time I felt like royalty. My mom told me stories about how my aunts and neighbors fought over who held me next.