First Individual is the place Chalkbeat options private essays by educators, college students, mother and father, and others considering and writing about public schooling.
When my highschool introduced its upcoming theater manufacturing of “Fiddler on the Roof” again in April 2023, I used to be thrilled.
The musical, which tells the story of a poor, Japanese European Jewish household within the early twentieth century, had all the time been my dream present. As a pupil theater director (and likewise a lighting and graphic designer), I by no means anticipated to be a part of a “Fiddler” manufacturing so early in my profession.
I’m a sophomore at a public highschool the place I’m one of some Jewish college students. Amid my pleasure, one concern weighed closely on me given the present’s explicitly Jewish subject material: antisemitism. The thought made me sick to my abdomen.
This musical, based mostly on quick tales by the Yiddish-language author Sholem Aleichem, was near my coronary heart. Seeing it on our college stage, produced by our theater division, was going to be further particular for me. Nonetheless, I thought-about resigning relatively than revealing to the solid and crew that I’m Jewish. I had stored that a part of myself hidden ever since elementary college once I was bullied for my Jewish religion.
I shared my considerations with a trusted trainer after which reached out to my grownup co-directors — one in all whom, I used to be stunned to be taught, can be Jewish. Having somebody who understood the depth of my emotions concerning the present and the potential reactions to it meant the world to me. After some deep dialogue, we felt that planning academic occasions concerning the present and its themes would profit the solid and crew, most of whom should not Jewish.
Then got here the information of the occasions of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, starting the continued Israel-Hamas warfare. It made me really feel much more overwhelmed and terrified. I had new “what ifs” going via my head. Would there be protesters on the performances? How are the children going to deal with the present’s Jewish content material now? Was it actually the very best time to placed on this explicit manufacturing?
My co-directors and I organized a number of academic occasions, together with anti-bias peer coaching led by the Anti-Defamation League. Choose tenth and eleventh graders discovered the way to fight stereotypes about individuals and teams. We additionally hosted a standard Shabbat celebration, just like the “Sabbath Prayer” scene in “Fiddler,” and introduced in genuine clothes and ritual gadgets used on the Sabbath.
I used to be moved and overjoyed to witness my friends’ enthusiasm for studying concerning the Jewish religion and its rituals. The celebration was proof of the sturdy neighborhood inside our theater division and a reminder of the ability of custom and togetherness.
Moreover, I created a Yiddish pronunciation information and invited native Jewish leaders — a rabbi, cantor, and rebbitzin (rabbi’s spouse) — to talk to the solid and crew. These visits gave college students the chance to ask questions and have interaction with the tradition they’d be depicting. They wished to know, for instance, why many observant Jews cowl their head, the importance of the Jewish prayer scarf, or tallit, and what “Fiddler on the Roof” meant to Jewish communal leaders.
By opening evening, Feb. 29, 2024, I lastly felt comfy sufficient to put on my Star of David necklace out within the open. It was the primary time I had worn an emblem of my faith outdoors of an all-Jewish atmosphere and the primary time I used to be absolutely candid about my religion with the solid and crew.
I had by no means thought-about carrying any sort of Jewish jewellery in public. However after this expertise, I felt a newfound delight and connection to my religion. Now, I all the time have some sort of Star of David on me — a necklace, earrings, bracelet, or watch appeal.
Earlier than the premiere, the Jewish co-director and I additionally mentioned the “Shehecheyanu,” a prayer expressing gratitude for a brand new or special day. The prayer made the second much more significant.
Placing on this present was a big problem, however it confirmed me individuals’s capability for studying about totally different faiths, backgrounds, and cultures. It additionally revealed how accepting the scholars within the theater division are.
Regardless of my preliminary fears, it turned out to be the proper time to stage this manufacturing as a result of it introduced pleasure and understanding to those that noticed it. It was a present, infused with historical past and which means, to the native Jewish neighborhood and to the neighborhood at massive. Following the performances, I additionally heard from a couple of different Jewish college students who hadn’t been open about their religion both.
Wanting again on this college yr, I can not imagine how far I’ve come and the way a lot I’ve grown. I’ll all the time cherish the delight and pleasure I skilled whereas embracing part of myself that had been hidden for too lengthy.
Samantha Alexander is a pupil director with six years of expertise. In the course of the college yr, Samantha serves as a theater director, lighting designer, and graphic designer in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In the course of the summer season, she works as a specialist in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, the place she continues to sharpen her expertise and push the boundaries of what’s potential on the earth of theater. When she shouldn’t be directing, she enjoys writing, creating handmade jewellery, and touring.
