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University of Central Florida Student Rediscovers Jewish Roots with Hillel
February 21, 2005Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friendIn 1734, a family of ministers fled persecution in Germany and sought a new home in Amish America among the Pennsylvania Deutsch. Two hundred and seventy years later, Rebecca Risser – one of the family's descendants – calls Central Florida Hillel her home away from home.
Risser, 22, was raised in the Christian Scientist Church, attending worship services every Sunday two blocks from her Sarasota home. She was taught that salvation came only through following the examples of Jesus. No one in Sarasota would have ever guessed that Risser was actually Jewish.
"My mom was Jewish, but she never really talked about it. I don't remember ever going to synagogue with her," said Risser, who is now a senior at the University of Central Florida. "She really discouraged me from interacting with her Jewish family. She wasn't that proud of it."
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