Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my experiences as a Jewish woman.

Author

Date

March 19, 2020

“Growing up in an interfaith family shaped my experiences as a Jewish woman. I learned that the more we embrace different traditions and listen to different perspectives, the more we can learn and grow. Becoming involved in Hillel Jewish University Center helped me expand on these perspectives and meet new people whose experiences differed from mine. My freshman year, Robyn Markowitz Lawler, the assistant director at the time of Hillel JUC, asked if I would be interested in becoming editor-in-chief of 70 Faces, a Jewish art and literature magazine at Hillel. I said yes. Judaism is about asking questions and making space for people, and that’s exactly what this magazine does. We’ve published student pieces like ‘They Sat in the Back,’ an emotional response to the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue, which happened right in our neighborhood. The beauty of 70 Faces is that we are able to find spaces where we can connect with Jewish students of different backgrounds in creative and meaningful ways. I connect to my Judaism in so many different ways, including the arts. 70 Faces embraces everyone, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.” — Rachel Barcelona, University of Pittsburgh