At BCI, there was this smaller Hungarian man in my music workshop. In this workshop, there were only twelve of us, but each day, when we'd start off our one-and-a-half hour sessions by passing a hand drum around and sharing how we were feeling at that moment, he'd say in his adorable accent, "Hello, my name is Daniel, so nice to meet you!" After a couple of days it became a routine, comical part of the circle that never failed in causing at least two of us to chuckle.
I have a whole trunk full of memories from BCI; it was honestly the best community experience I've had in my life. And not only that, but it was a place for cultivating my unique Jewish identity in which I felt no judgment, no expectations to adhere to any religious codes or beliefs, only the hands on my shoulders from the Education Fellows that told me I was okay where I was, that they understood my concerns about various aspects of Jewish tradition and practice.
I have a whole trunk full of memories from BCI; it was honestly the best community experience I've had in my life. And not only that, but it was a place for cultivating my unique Jewish identity in which I felt no judgment, no expectations to adhere to any religious codes or beliefs, only the hands on my shoulders from the Education Fellows that told me I was okay where I was, that they understood my concerns about various aspects of Jewish tradition and practice.
* * *
I am now in San Francisco (Berkeley, to be true to the moment). There is much to write about how I got here, the people I've gotten to know, the connection I've felt, the generosity I've witnessed, and more, from the time I started BCI until now. Now that I am settled, at least for a few days in a place with reliable internet, I hope to excavate and unpack at least some of it.
1 comment:
can't wait to hear more!! miss you girly!
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