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Mismatched
Half of a cross
Half of a star
Half of the Torah
Half of the Bible
I was raised
with no grasp
on the one
above.
Grandpa said
“Hide”
so my mother
never told,
never even whispered
that a piece of her
came from the soil
of Israel.
But I won’t forget
my roots
so I must learn
to be numb
to the bitterness,
the slander,
and the absurd
stereotypes
of Jews acting like
rabid dogs over money,
and the burning desires
to desecrate their land.
My mom’s friend
walks past the window
of a synagogue,
sees a young
Jewish boy
writing at a desk,
unaware of his
supposed destiny,
and a twinge of pain
pinches her heart.
Why?
Because he
is going to
Hell.
In my small town,
my own closed cave,
all I see
are churches
filled with those
who mistrust
the scientists,
hate the textbook
for quoting Darwin.
Do I seem insane
to my small town?
Should I
follow blindly?
Will I go to
Hell?
Or become a victim
of another Inquisition?
If I don’t believe
in anything
then in the end,
will the lights just go out?
Although no
holy places
seem like home,
the Hebrew blood
runs through my veins
making a part of me
engraved by a star.
I miss my
lost teachings
making me caught
between two halves.
Half of a Christmas tree
Half of a Menorah
Half of everything
Half of nothing
On my own
I will study the texts
till I am sure
if I believe in God .
One thing I know,
I come from Israel
so when I hear the insults,
feel the cuts,
I will stand up and say,
“I’m Jewish.”
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This article has 2 comments.
OHMYGOSH. it's like you wrote this poem directly to me!!!! i am also half and half. my mom is christian and my dad is jewish. however, i was raised fully jewish meaning i learned hebrew and had a bat mitzvah and everything. but i also celebrate christmas and easter along with hannukah and passover. so i totally understand when you say "half a christmas tree, half of a menorah."
i also understand when you speak of the slander. people always ask me the stupidest questions,like if i have a jewish nose. it's really so pathetic. it's just a religion, and it's not that i'm even that religious.
really, i feel like that you wrote this exactly for me because i swear, this is my life. i seriously flipped out when i read this. not only because this totally applies to me, but because you are a fabulous writer. GREAT JOB!!
OH MY GOSH. i absolutely LOVELOVELOVE this! i am also half christian, half jewish. my dad is jewish and my mom is christian. i was raised fully jewish though. i had a bat mitzvah and learned hebrew and everything. but i celebrated christmas and easter along with hannukah and passover. i totally get what you mean by "half of a christmas tree, half of a menorah." its like you were speaking directly to me.
i understand the slander, too. i get teased all the time for being a jew, asking if i was poor or if i have a jew nose, which are things people could obviously tell from looking at me. people have gotten suspended for things they have said to me. its just a religion! i'm not even that religious. i go to a reformed synagogue.
this really spoke to me in the most important way. this is my all time favorite poem EVER.
