CBI Blogs

Growing up Jewish in San Antonio meant I was well aware of how I differed from the other kids. I knew that I couldn’t stay late for Brownies or Girl Scouts on Wednesday afternoons because I had to get to Hebrew school. It meant feeling like an outcast on the playground when I wanted to sing a song, specifically “Oseh Shalom,” or something else I learned while in Religious School. Of course, I also felt different and special when I got to miss school in the fall for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.

When you experience these moments, moments that make you feel othered (and not always in a good way), it’s sometimes hard to embrace your faith. Friends from the north, like New York or Boston never really understood this. They had days off for High Holy Days, they were never the only Jew in their class, let alone their grade or entire school. But here in Texas, we have to work for our Judaism. We have to be comfortable with standing out. We have to learn to accept and embrace that our lives are inherently different than everyone around us.

As I moved into high school, I felt more and more sure of my Jewish identity. Not only did I embrace my different faith traditions and beliefs, I celebrated them. I had grown into a proud Jewish teenager. So, when I had the opportunity to join the 10^th grade Confirmation program, I was ecstatic. Here was the class I’d been waiting for! I had the chance to learn new, exciting, and different topics from teachers I hadn’t had yet. And, at the end of the year, I was able to proudly and boldly confirm my beliefs, my Jewish identity. It’s really not a surprise that a future rabbi felt that way about Confirmation.

Today, I view the Confirmation program in the same way. While not many (if any) of our students will go on to become rabbis, I feel confident they have become and will remain proudly Jewish. The history of Confirmation may have been inspired by Christianity, but today, it is an experience and opportunity to allow our 10^th grade students to connect more deeply with their Judaism and embrace their Jewish identity.

This Saturday, May 18 we will celebrate CBI’s Confirmation Class of 5784. This rather large group of 21 students have worked hard to prepare a beautiful service celebrating their Judaism. Join us to help celebrate them! Services begin at 10:30 in our transitional sanctuary, located in Smith Auditorium. We hope you can be with us as we sing, pray, and most of all, welcome our confirmands as the newest group of students to affirm their Jewish identity.