Recently, I posed the question, are we responsible for the actions of our parents? in relation to a promotional project I'm doing for the show Hitler's Daughter that's coming to Penn State in March. I thought I would use this blog to explore this question myself. 
My immediate gut reaction is no, we are not responsible. They are their own people, perfectly capable for making their own decisions. Yet, as I think about it more, watch TV, talk to friends, more and more situations come up where children take responsibility for their parents. In one show, there is a character whose father is the town drunk. And whenever the father gets drunk, the son pays for the father's debts and tries to keep his dad out of trouble or from jumping off of a roof. He is responsible, or at least he feels responsible, for his father. 

I picture the nursing home. If your mom does not like the orderly that takes care of her and is verbally abusive, the nursing home calls you to either come deal with her or take her out of that facility. You then become responsible for your parents because of their actions. 

When we are growing up, our parents do everything for us. They hold us, clothe us, feed us, house us, bathe us, love us. They are our everything. And as we grow up, we gain our independence and take care of ourselves. And then we become the parents, responsible for a new life. But when our parents get old and can no longer take care of themselves, isn't it our responsibility to take care of them, the same way they did for us when we were incapable? 

In many organizations the boss is responsible for whatever their employees do. The employees, including the boss, represent their organization. If the boss goes out one night and gets beyond wasted, posting pictures to facebook in his drunken sloppiness and tweeting about how much his employees annoy him, he, while representing the company, makes his employees responsible for his actions.  

In some of the responses I've received from students around campus, they mention that parents and children are family, responsible for each other no matter what. In other, people say it is the child's responsibility to try and help the parents out of a sticky situation. In others, parents are on their own, capable for taking care of themselves. A few have claimed that it depends on the situation. One person mentioned that you can say whatever you want, you still have the same name, the same reputation that that name or association carries. 

When our parents do something well, I'm sure we wouldn't even have to think about whether we are connected, of course we would want some of that limelight. But when the situation is trickier, like if our parents do something morally wrong, do our opinions change? I think I would say we are responsible for the actions of our parents, and it is our duty to protect that reputation and make sure that we are taking responsibility for something we can be proud of. 

I'm curious though, what do you think? 

This week, I had the opportunity to go in for an interview at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. I am really excited about this program. I think the interview went well, although this is my first one, so I have nothing with which to compare. The director of the education program remembered me from my visit in October (see this blog). She said she was glad to see me back for an interview. I was very glad to be there. I ran into my aunt sister-in-law, a professor of Jewish History at HUC who said that in the interview, they are looking to see if you are a good candidate, not if you are better than the rest. They take as many students as are qualified for the school, not filling two seats, which calmed my nerves a bit. The interview consisted of the director of the program and three faculty and staff members at HUC. They asked questions, trying to get to know me outside of my essays. At the end, the director said I did a good job, which was exciting. They said I should hear back in a few weeks, so hopefully by spring break I'll have an answer :) 
Below, please enjoy reading my personal statement, explaining the various choices and events that have led me to decide to become a Jewish educator. Enjoy!

During the summers growing up, I attended Union of Reform Judaism's Camp Harlam in the Pocono Mountains, where I fell in love with Judaism on Friday nights at Chapel on the Hill. The community came together in white, the song leaders led everyone in song to welcome in the Sabbath bride, each unit put together a Shabbat service, and the camp sang all our favorites at Friday night song sessions. It was my favorite time of the week. I try to recreate those emotions each week at Kabbalat Shabbat and, each week I fall in love again with Judaism. This is just one of the memories I had growing up that helped to shape my Jewish identity. From camp and Israel to college and Hillel, there have been many Jewish milestones in my life that inspired a love of Judaism in me and compelled me to share with others that same passion for Judaism and Jewish learning that I have developed in my own life.

In 2003, I had the opportunity to go to the Southern Wall of the Temple in Israel for my Bat Mitzvah. Having my Bat Mitzvah in Israel just made it that much more special; I was able to become part of the Jewish community in the presence of my family surrounded by thousands of years of Jewish history. I had a second Bat Mitzvah ceremony in America six month later to celebrate with my extended family and all of my friends. But I spent the whole day remembering and reliving my first ceremony in Israel. For me, reaching this milestone was less about my ability to read Torah and more about my connection to my family, to my Jewish people, and to my Jewish identity.

Since that first trip, I have been lucky enough to travel to Israel four more times. Each trip has been unique but they all have one thing in common: building my connection to Israel. Living so far away from a land that means so much to me is challenging. However, knowing what Israel is really like has been comforting for me, and it has allowed me to share my experiences and knowledge with friends and peers. I am able to advocate on behalf of Israel at school, and I can teach my religious school students about the diversity that exists in Israel. We, as Jews, should stand up for and support the State of Israel because it is our homeland, it unites us as Jews and, as the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is working to protect its people. We are responsible for making this world a better place, which includes advocating for the continued existence of the State of Israel. Klal Yisrael aravim ze le ze--All of Israel is responsible for one another. "One another" could be interpreted as other Jews, but it could also mean other people. I took this saying to heart in high school, where I began participating in programs focused on Jewish education and teaching. It was during this time that I began shifting my Jewish educational path. Before, I was just absorbing so much information, experiencing emotions, and building my own Jewish identity. But during high school, I started taking the active steps that allowed me to share my knowledge and feelings with people around me, while still developing my Jewish self. I participated in the Jewish Community High School's Isaac Mayer Wise program, trained at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education to work with special needs children in a religious school setting, and worked as a classroom assistant at my synagogue. This active involvement continued in college, where I knew Judaism would be a very important influence on my collegiate experience.

After a long process of searching, I found my home at Penn State. For me, high school was always about the homework, papers, and classes, and Judaism was supplementary. I went to college to study biochemistry, hoping to work in a lab after graduation. However, as the semesters progressed, I found myself enrolling in more and more Jewish Studies courses because I found them to be compelling and, for the first time, I had the opportunity to really learn about Judaism in an academic setting. By the end of my sophomore year at Penn State, I had to declare my major. This was a very hard decision for me. I was supposed to be a biochemist after graduation, but the courses in which I was enrolled suggested otherwise. At that point, more than half of my schedule was filled with Jewish history, Bible study, and Hebrew, not physics and chemistry labs. Judaism had always been an extracurricular activity for me, but now it was taking center stage in my academic life. Looking back, becoming a Jewish Studies major seems like an obvious decision because of the passion for it I developed over the years, but at the time, I debated with myself for weeks trying to decide if I should transform my academic plan to be one focused around a Jewish career. By allowing myself this personal refocus, I changed my Jewish experience from being just an extracurricular activity; it was now the center of my world. I let my personal passion take over, and I filled almost every day with something related to Judaism. Continuing with the types of involvement with Judaism I had while in high school, I became actively involved in Hillel, and I began teaching at the local synagogue.

For my last term on Penn State Hillel Student Board, I was religious co-chair, responsible for all religious programming at Hillel. One memorable event was Shabbat 101. I spent a few weeks during the summer researching the customs, traditions and meaning of Friday evening prayers for the first Shabbat of the semester. I really enjoyed putting this program together because I got to learn more about what I say every Friday night; it gave me a new way to connect to the prayers, allowing me to have more meaningful kavanah. In addition to learning, I loved sharing this knowledge with others and hearing attendees, in turn, share what they learned with their friends. Hillel's mission is to foster Jewish life on campus, and I was able to accomplish this by facilitating a program where the information I attained inspired students to pass on their newly acquired knowledge about Jewish traditions to their peers.

Another important experience in my journey towards becoming a Jewish educator has been working at Brit Shalom, the synagogue here in State College. One of the most rewarding experiences of this job is watching my kids learn. The experience I had while assisting at my childhood synagogue was to see numerous students, half asleep, attending because their parents made them. But even then, I was different; I spent almost every day of the week at the synagogue, going to classes, working as a classroom assistant, and attending services. I loved learning and sharing my knowledge, and I still do. The greatest part of teaching my fourth graders has been watching them run up to their parents at the end of the day and answering the question, "what did you do today" with an excited answer explaining everything they learned, rather than the typical response of "nothing". I am choosing to be a Jewish educator so that I can help create future generations of Jews who are excited to learn and practice this religion that I find so powerful. I want to help them find personal connections and motivations to continue their studies about and fall in love with Judaism, just like I did.

I feel that Hebrew Union College has exceptional resources that would best prepare me for my future endeavors. From the professors who are not only knowledgeable in their subject matter, but who also take an active role in improving methods of Jewish education to the well-rounded curriculum and year in Israel, the New York School of Education will provide me with the skills needed to become a leader in the field of Jewish education. 

I am working with Hillel and the Center for Performing Arts to promote the show Hitler's Daughter, coming to campus March 17, 2013 at 2pm in Eisenhower Auditorium. I am putting together a display case in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. The case will include information about the play, responses from students, and handmade butterflies. I am asking students around campus to think about the question: Are we responsible for the actions of our parents? Hitler's Daughter explore this question when students waiting for a bus start telling stories and one imagines what life would have been like for the fictitious daughter of Hitler. It may seem like a straightforward questions, but there are many possibilities to consider. Maybe the answer is no--like if our parents get in trouble for something and go to jail, we don't go to jail for them. But maybe at a nursing home, if they start acting up, we are responsible for talking to them and dealing with them if the problems don't subside. Our parents take care of us--most of the time supporting us monetarily during college. Are we responsible for doing the same when our parents retire? Students can email responses to [email protected] with Hitler's Daughter in the subject line by Wednesday, February 15. 

Butterflies have become associated with children during the Holocaust as a result of the poem "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" written by a child during the Holocaust in the Terezin Concentration Camp. Because this is a children's play, elementary school-aged students at the local synagogue are making butterflies out of coffee filters, water colors, and clothespins to include in the display. After the show, the butterflies will be sent to the Houston Holocaust Museum to be included in their display of 1.5 million butterflies, commemorating the loss of all 1.5 million children during the Holocaust. For more information about the butterfly project, click here

For more information about the play, see below: 

Hitler's Daughter
Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 2pm in Eisenhower Auditorium 

Based on a novel by Jackie French and performed by Monkey Baa, a theatre for young people, Hitler' Daughter tells the story of four children - Mark, Ben, Anna, and Tracey. As the friends wait for the school bus, Anna tells the imagined tale of Heidi, daughter of the most hated man in history. The play switches between Nazi Germany and contemporary Australia as Mark becomes engrossed in the story. Could Heidi have stopped the atrocities of war, genocide, and hate her father waged? Would Mark have acted differently in Heidi's place? This intriguing play poses powerful questions about a frightening period in history and forces us to examine moral issues in relation to society's fears and prejudices. Based in Sydney, Australia, Monkey Baa (as in monkey bar pronounced by an Aussie) has achieved critical acclaim and enjoys an international reputation for producing quality theatre programs for young audiences. (http://www.cpa.psu.edu/events/hitler.html) 

For an 8-minute trailer of the play, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4dgs-mNAo

In his blog this week, Steven reflected on his class meeting. The class was divided into four groups to look at essays with the task of critically evaluating their writing style. His group used an oral approach--each member discussing their opinions of the essays written, according to Steven, "out of necessity and without the passion of the convinced behind their creation." While he was upset that his group didn't begin to plan their presentations until the last few minutes of the discussion time, he feels that his group worked well together. I assume that this activity was to get the class started on their policy paper. I'm curious to learn more about what their topic will be and how this class fares at writing such a document with so many people. 
Felix, this week, complained about the lack of common sense and worldliness of typical students at Penn State. He recounted several examples of students not taking the time to think about what they are saying. And I understand his frustration--asking an Australian if they use the Euro could be seen as unintelligent. However, I think we should all be alloted our stupid comments every once and a while. We sometimes say things we don't mean--or don't realize how silly the questions sounds until its out in the open. And yes, being at a university like Penn State, we should be smart enough to think about what we say before we say it. However, no one is perfect. Maybe Felix has just been around these people at the wrong time. I understand that it can be very annoying and frustrating, but please do not judge everyone one the actions of a few people. I really don't think that people lack as much common sense or knowledge that Felix claims, but I can understand how these incidents build up and can become frustrating. 

This winter break, in between episodes of TV and sleeping til 12, I applied to grad school. In the end I sent in four applications for Masters programs in the field of Jewish education. Three of the four schools are in New York, with the last one in Los Angeles. They range in length from two to three years, some with time in Israel, others with summer class requirements. My top choice is a three year program, the first year in Israel, the last two in New York. I went to visit this school for an open house in October and absolutely loved the place--the people, the classes, the program, the location--all of it is awesome. I'm not sure which of the remaining three ranks second, mostly because this school outranks them all by a lot. I guess it comes down to funding--which schools can I actually afford to go to. And that's my next project--applying for funding and fellowships. With my sister at Bucknell, I am on my own financially, my parents can't afford to support both of us, as much as my mother refuses to admit it. So mixed with reading assignments and thesis chapters, my life will be filled with essays and short answers about why I want to be a Jewish educator. Wish me luck!

Yesterday, I witnessed my first case of academic dishonesty when I had my first final of the season. It was a Hebrew written exam about a story (in Hebrew) we were supposed to read on our own. The exam asked comprehension questions to test our reading ability and writing skills. We were told about this exam the week before Thanksgiving break so we could spend our time reading and rereading this story, asking questions, and making sure that we fully understand what was happening in the short 20-page story. 

Well, here it is, my first week without a Hillel meeting to attend. The new board took over last Monday night, the 26th and this past Monday was my first without Hillel responsibilities. Well that's not quite true, but it was the first without a board meeting. 
It is kind of surreal not knowing what's being planned. Since November of freshman year, I have been involved with Hillel board. From planning Holocaust Education events to leading Passover Seder, Hillel has been my life. And now the torch has been passed. My co-chair and I went out to brunch with the incoming religious co-chairs to discuss what we do and a timeline for thinking about all the holidays that they plan. We answered questions and shared what we learned, trying not to overwhelm these easily impressionable freshman. No longer am I responsible for finding leaders each Friday night or coming up with new and exciting programs for those Jewish holidays barely anyone has heard of. I can sit back, relax, and see what the next group will do. 

But like I said at the beginning, I'm not quite finished yet. I am the point person for Hillel's big Hanukkah event: The Great Debate: Hanukkah Style (a debate over which food is better the latke (a potato pancake fried in oil for Hanukkah) or the hamentaschen (a jelly filled triangle shaped cookie eaten on Purim) moderated by our very own Dean Brady) on December 12, at 7pm in 111 Forum. Samples of both contenders will be available for tasting. Additionally, I will be leading the Women's Seder for Passover in the spring, and I am working on a display case about the play Hitler's daughter coming to State College in February. So while I'm technically not on board, I am still involved. And as our advisors say, you don't have to be on board to be involved. But next semester, who knows what I'll be doing. Hillel will always have a special place in my heart, but it might be nice to have Monday nights off :)

This past week, Steven attended a panel discussion called the X's and O's of Leadership where four prominent coaches explained the role of leadership from an athletic perspective. This sounds like a really interesting panel. And while I wouldn't immediately think of athletic programs as good sources of leaders, they really do promote and develop potential leaders. Steven focused on the words of Men's Volleyball coach Mark Palvik, picking up two quotations about what a leader looks like on a volleyball court. Coach said that "A leader isn't someone who is a good athlete, but rather a force within the team that has clear vision to success, and gets other to buy into it." I agree that someone who can motivate others to pursue a clear vision is a type of leader. But I'm hesitant to say that a good player is not a leader. There are different kinds of leaders both on and off the court. Maybe the good player will inspire others to work hard and improve their skills. And maybe the motivational player might keep his or her teammates focused and working hard. Both types can be successful. Coach Palvik also stated, according to Steven that "leading by example is not leading at all." Again I'm hesitant to agree because there is more than one type of successful leader. Maybe in his experience with student athletes motivational players have been more effective. However, saying that leading by example is not leading disregards many leaders who are effective in a variety of settings. 

Class Sunday night was really relevant for me. Is leadership innate or learned? If both, which skills are innate and which are learned? The conversation suggested that communication is vital to effective communication, but being able to communicate effectively can be learned. Passion on the other hand is something that makes a leader good, and it's really difficult, if not impossible to teach passion. These are just two examples. But they are important characteristics to think about when selecting incoming leaders. 

Hillel is going through the process currently of selecting the new board for the 2013 term. The questions the interview committee have to help them determine the type of leader in front of them. Is this someone who has potential, who can be molded into an executive position later? Has this person learned what they needed to on general board to qualify them for an exec position? Are they ready for the demands that Hillel board requires? 

A few decisions have already been made, including who will be the new executive board. And some of the decisions have me worried. From my experience with these people, they don't seem to have the best communication skills or work ethic. Some of them have not impressed me with their execution of events or showed me that they are exec board ready. It seems that some of these people have a lot of learning to do. And while learning is a good thing, and as leaders we should always be learning and changing our styles, having this much to work on is disconcerting for top leadership in a student organization. 

I am not the only person with these opinions of these newly selected leaders. And these opinions have been expressed to the selection committee, and the committee agreed with the opinions. Yet, even after conversations about qualities in the new exec board, the decisions that were made reflect the committee ignoring the previous conversations. This says a lot to me about leadership style. If you have already agreed that this person is not the best one for the job, yet chose them anyway, how are you improving the organization? Do you value this position, or are you filling it because you have to with this person because they are the best of the worst? 

Did you select them solely because their interview was good? Did you ignore all previous leadership experience? Did you consider the thoughts and opinions of the people who worked with this leader before? How can you judge a person's effectiveness from a single interview, weighing that interview above all previous experience? Did the thought of rejecting them and their reaction frighten you into choosing them? Is that a good reason to select someone to run your organization? 

I think all characteristics of a person should be considered and the fear of their reaction from not getting the position should not cause you to select them. They should be the very best, especially if they are competing with five other people for this same position. Some aspects of leadership can be learned, but before you fill a high position in an organization, a lot of those aspects should be mastered. Yes, leaders should continue to learn, but when in a position to mentor and train other leaders, the mentor should be the best possible example for these flowering leaders. 

Honor is a word that has many definitions--privilege like it is my honor to do this, respect--we will honor him by doing that, distinction--you can earn many honors or attend an honors college. These are only three definitions, yet they all fit into how I feel right now: It is my honor (privilege) to honor (respect) the women that fought for suffrage by voting to honor (respect) President Barack Obama with the honor (distinction/privilege) of being reelected as president for another four years.  This was my first presidential election; I missed the last one by two months.

In high school, I remember Obama's last election as something that every student was passionate about--either for Obama or against him. When he was inaugurated, there was a huge crowd of students sitting in the hallway watching on television as the man some of us had helped to elect was making history by being the first African American president. Classmates of mine had joined the campaign and were "the Democrateens." They had found their place working for the Change Campaign, canvassing, flyering, and working for Obama. 

Politics have never been something I like to talk about. First, I don't feel like I know enough to be confortable having an intelligent conversation with someone about it. Secondly, so many people are so set in their ways that a conversation is pointless. Many just argue what they want to argue without hearing what the other is saying, similar to some presidential debates I've watched. Four years ago, it was hard to not talk about politics, because for the first time, it was relevant in our lives. I didn't get the same vibe this year--the youth vote didn't seem to be as prominent or as active this year. However, the issues that were being debated were very important to many people: education, health care, women's right, gay rights, the economy, jobs, stance on Iran and Israel, etc.

What I noticed this year was that people had different priorities. For some, jobs and lower taxes are what they want. Some want a stronger stance against Iran. Some prefer Obamacare and funding for education. It depends on what's relevant in your life.

I had a friend who asked why people didn't like Romney. I was baffled. You are supposed to know why you are voting for someone, and I'm glad she had an answer for that question. But it seems just as important to me to know why others are not voting for your candidate. To be an active citizen, I think you need to know the pros and cons of both candidates. It was shocking that this intelligent girl did not know why people didn't like Romney. But that wasn't relevant for her; she didn't need to know why others didn't like him, just why she did.

I am honored to have participated in this election. I am honored that this country decided to oust Akin who said "legitimate rape" and that the first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin, was elected. I am honored.