Growing Up Gen Z and Jewish in a Predominantly Christian Society

Leah Korenberg is a 20-year-old Journalism student at Cal State Fullerton. She grew up with a loving family and many different friends with all different kinds of backgrounds. One thing that she was rarely able to relate to with others was her religion.

Korenberg was raised in a non-orthodox Jewish household. Both her mother and father were raised Jewish and actually found each other because of their religion. Leah says that she enjoyed the experience of being raised with this ideology because it provided her with a “Unique perspective outside of secular schooling and mainstream Christianity that has always been pushed in American media.” Simple aspects of her childhood like lighting the Menorah and saying prayers in Hebrew are things that she would have never experienced without having grown up in this household. Having the opportunity to not only appreciate these aspects of her heritage, but to share them with friends and other loved ones is a unique opportunity that she always valued. She also mentioned the idea that along with learning and practicing Jewish traditions, she was raised to value social issues and was given education on those aspects of the world from a young age. One of her most valued phrases is “Love thy neighbor” which she has learned to apply to the entirety of the world.

Some of these experiences have allowed her to proudly identify with her Jewish heritage and allows her to feel comfortable and excited to share her culture with others. Since she said that “It is rare for [her] to meet another Jewish person,” she enjoys spreading awareness and giving information to people who ask. With people having a lack of education of Jewish culture, she also said that throughout her adolescence, she faced ignorant remarks and even comments on her appearance.

She reflected on these experiences by saying, “People have joked about my Jewish identity, at times even joking about the Holocaust to me. At times I felt triggered about comments made about my appearance in relation to my Judaism, but this subsided the older I got. I don’t take the things people say about Judaism to me personally because I know most people can just be ignorantly projecting.” This harsh treatment that she has faced is based solely off of lack of knowledge and these remarks that have been directed towards her contribute to stereotypes and continue a narrative that “others” a group of people.

With Korenberg’s position as a Jewish woman in America, she recognizes her privilege and dedicates some of her time to education of social issues that include Jewish individuals. She has mentioned that the genocide that is actively happening in Palestine has prompted her to dive into research giving background information about the Israeli occupation and has led her to donate to the Palestinian’s personal Go Fund Me, to help families with evacuation and to aid those that are trying to cross the dangerous bombing zones surrounding the Rafah border. With knowledge of these current social issues, Korenberg also makes it a mission to, “Educate others that Zionism does not align with Jewish values and just because one is against Zionism does not mean they are antisemitic.”

All of these aspects of Leah Korenberg’s experience were impacted by her Jewish heritage. While some experiences and practices allowed her to learn new things and educate herself and others, other aspects of her Jewish heritage were used against her.

While she personally still advocates for and supports her Jewish roots, it is easy to see how someone could lose interest in defending their culture in a society that projects an image that supports freedom and diversity, but in reality amplifies the already active struggles of these minority groups. With stories like Leah’s and many others still to be shared, one can hope that our future will provide a more empathetic and understanding society that accepts people regardless of their backgrounds.