This Jewish American Heritage Month, I’m Reflecting on My Israeli Jewish American Identity
Amit Ben-Harush is a student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she studies business and marketing. A proud Israeli American Jew, Amit reflects on how her connection to her Jewish heritage has grown with her over the years.
In 2005, my family flew from Israel to Minnesota to visit my aunt for the High Holidays, and decided to stay permanently. We quickly became very involved in our local Jewish community: We kept kosher, went to synagogue every weekend, and made Shabbat a big part of our lives. The community I grew up in, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, felt like one big Jewish family. We could walk to our synagogue, walk to my aunt’s house for lunch, and really immerse ourselves in Jewish life.
Things changed when I was in elementary school, and my parents got divorced. Up until second grade, I had gone to Jewish day school, so being Jewish was the norm for my friends and me. It was just another part of my life. But after my parents got divorced, I transferred to a public school, and everything was different. Suddenly, I was the only Jewish kid. There was no one who could relate to me, or who I could talk to about being Jewish. I was still very proud of my Israeli identity, but my Judaism began to take a back seat.
By the time I reached my first year of high school, I was looking for something bigger than my Minnesota school, so I convinced my parents to let me study abroad in Israel. To me, the goal of that experience was to be back in Israel and experience that homecoming.
But my study abroad experience ended early when I returned home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, being back in Israel reminded me how meaningful it was to be surrounded by other Jews, and I didn’t want to lose that feeling. I found my way to the youth group NCSY, and became the president of my school’s Jewish Student Union, both of which filled the space in me that was missing Jewish friends and Jewish community.
After my experiences in NCSY, I knew it was going to be important to me to have a long-term Jewish connection while at college. When we toured campuses, the first question my mom asked was whether or not there was a Hillel, and that helped me get a sense for what Jewish life might be like there. And in my search for a Jewish family, I found an incredible surprise when I visited the University of Minnesota and saw my cousin! She was working at Minnesota Hillel as the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow last year and seeing her cemented my feeling that the strength and vibrancy of Minnesota Hillel made it the perfect place for me.
I’ve gotten deeply involved in Hillel since starting at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and it’s really strengthened my Jewish identity. While studying business and marketing, I joined the Hillel social action team and marketing team, and participated in the Kane Fellowship at Minnesota Hillel, an experience that helped me grow as a Jewish leader.
This Jewish American Heritage Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be Jewish in communities where there are very few Jewish people. When I live in a big Jewish community, like I did in Israel and in St. Louis Park, I don’t have to think as much on a day-to-day basis about being Jewish. It’s just another part of my life. But when I’m surrounded by a diverse group of people who are not Jewish, it inspires me to think more intentionally and deeply about my Jewish identity and practice.
And what I have found is that being an Israeli immigrant is still a core part of who I am, both in my love for my birth country, Israel, and my adopted country, America. Being Jewish in America is so different from being Jewish in Israel, and I’m proud to have been able to experience both. As we celebrate the history of Jewish people in America this month, I keep thinking about how we may be small in number, but we’re such a diverse community, full of amazing people who have done amazing things. I’m proud to call myself an Israeli Jewish American.