My Jewish Development

By dsatlow

  • I was born

  • Bar Mitzva

    Read entire Parsha. Gave me significant sense of accomplishment

  • My bris

  • Move to Providence

    In Providence, I entered both and Orthodox Synagogue and Jewish Day School for the first time

  • First Summer at Camp Ramah in New England

  • Left Jewish Day School

    Sensed a loss of security and intimacy as a result of transferring from a small Jewish Day School to a large inner city middle school. Became Chareidi for a little bit in order to deal with the dissonance

  • Chanan Zucker

    Chanan was my 11th grade advisor when I studied in Israel and was just an amazing teacher and mentor. A deeply religious Jew, Chanan was unapolagetically comitted to the Jewish tradition while also recognizing our uniqueness and refusing to put us into boxes. He would always check in to see how we were doing and never hesitated to truthfully answer any difficult theological questions. I remember specifically for example when he called my parents to say how much he enjoyed having me in his class

  • Moved to Israel for 11th Grade

    As a result of a sebatical, I moved to Israel with my parents and entered an Israeli Religious Zionist High School which I loved

  • Gap Year in Israel

    Attended both a pluralistic pre-army Israeli leadership academy while also learning at Yeshivat Maaleh Gilboa. Felt both incredibly at home and challenged. Made me think a lot both about my own practice while also challenging me to think about how to balance my own needs with those of people in which I am in community

  • Sang in Hazamir Carnegie Hall

    Made me realize the power of communal Jewish music

  • Trip to Jewish Ethiopia

    Learned to sight read torah for the first time

  • Resigned from leadership in Brown Students for Israel

    Events during my first year in College made me much more critical and cynical about the way in which Israel is discussed and promoted on campus

  • Close Friend from Israel Died during Army service

    Put into question lots of assumptions developed during learning at Yeshiva
  • Period: to

    Worked on Thesis related to the Relationship between Rav Kook and Religious Zionism

  • Period: to

    Worked for Uri L'Tzedek

    Promoted Orthodox Social Justice in Washington DC
  • Period: to

    Worked at the Heschel School

  • Period: to

    Poland Trip

    Developed newfound appreciation for pre-War Eastern European Jewish community