Questioning Israel’s Policies Does Not Make Me Anti-Semitic
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. Synagogues were razedto the ground, Jewish families were jailed, and […]
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Lucky to Have Me
One day about two years ago, my older sister came home and said, “Pack a bag. We are leaving the country.’’ We had lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) our whole lives. I asked her, “Where are we going?” She seemed in a hurry. “It’s not the right time to know. We […]
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Foster Youth Deserve a Seat at the Table
I have been in foster care since I was 16. In that time, I have served as a “youth voice” on youth advisory boards (YABs) for among others, my agency, Heartshare St. Vincent’s Services; Fair Futures; New Yorkers for Children; and the Dorm Project. I’ve spoken up because I didn’t have anyone to stand up […]
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Youth Have the Power
Last June, one of the teachers at my school organized a Zoom workshop in an effort to get high school students to register to vote in this year’s election. I expected the Zoom room to be overflowing with students, but only about 10 showed up. I couldn’t understand why more students didn’t care about voting […]
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