Being Jewish in Atlanta has been an interesting and unique experience. Upon my arrival at Emory University, I did not know what to expect in regards to being a Jew in the south, specifically Atlanta. This topic was never something that crossed my mind until a few weeks before my Freshman year. “Will you join Chabad or Hillel?” “I hear Hillel is great at Emory!”, and “So many people are Jewish who attend Emory” were a few of the phrases that began to resonate with me upon my arrival. I was anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. Judaism has always been an important part in my upbringing and my moral and value system, and I was not going to ruin that when attending college. I had to make the right decision and had to find a place where I would feel comfortable. I guess my experience is different from other individuals who identify as Jewish and live in Atlanta. I was fortunate enough to find my niche of individuals who identify as Jewish here at Emory and have formed relationships and memories with those who have similar belief systems to those of myself. Although my experience being Jewish in Atlanta has been predominantly positive, there have been some times where I have felt like a minority, outsider and even threatened. Flashback to my Sophomore year, fall was in full swing, trees were changing colors and pumpkin spice lattes were all the rave…until one event happened on Emory’s campus: The painting of swastikas on a Jewish fraternity house after Yom Kippur. This was the first time my Jewish identify felt threatened and I felt unsafe, scared and disgusted. During these activities, offensive graffiti, including swastikas, were found on the Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter house at Emory university. AEPi is a national Jewish fraternity and the offensive paintings were spray-painted on the house hours after Yom Kippur, perhaps the holiest days in Judaism. Upon hearing the news and seeing the horrifying paintings, my heart sunk. It was the first time in my life that I felt scared to identify as a Jew, and felt even more threatened being in the south. Emory's President at the time, President James Wagner reacted to the news with a letter to the student body stating the following: “Among the many pernicious things the swastika symbolizes, in the last century it represented the most egregious and determined undermining of intellectual freedom and truth-seeking,” Wagner wrote. “In short, its appearance on our campus is an attack against everything for which Emory stands.” (Emory Wheel). I did feel that the school could have done a better job addressing this situation to the student population and could have offered support or help to those who greatly suffered from these heinous acts. Other than these acts, there were definitely other times where I felt my Judaism was not revered as highly as other religions. For example, when walking in stores, supermarkets or other places of social interaction, my experience during the holiday season when I check out at the register is constantly "Merry Christmas". This is something that has recently began to bother me, as I strongly believe a more inclusive phrase should be "Happy Holidays". I notice a difference in New York with more individuals using the latter phrase. There are definitely some challenges and difficulties I have faced while being a Jew in Atlanta, however, I firmly believe these obstacles were beneficial for my overall character.
On a more positive note, I feel privileged and honored to have expanded my Jewish faith and identity during my time at Emory. I was fortunate enough to take several Jewish studies classes and am an active member of Chabad. These activities and classes remind me of my Jewish faith and why I love Judaism and hold it so close to me. Emory has alleviated the stress of being a Jew in the south, a notion that is often hard to overcome. I am fortunate that Emory has allowed me to practice my religion freely, while exposing me to individuals who identify with different religions. Unlike high school, some of my Emory friends are indeed not Jewish. Although a large majority of my peers and acquaintances are Jewish, there remains a percentage that do not identify with the Jewish faith and I continually remain interested and fascinated about these different faiths. I am lucky enough to go to a University that allows me to practice what I want, while providing me with the opportunity to take classes out of my comfort zone and learn about other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. All in all, being a Jew in Atlanta has surpassed my expectations, as I believe my fondness for Judaism only augmented during my time at Emory.