My family’s name is carved in the stained glass windows in the largest temple in Philadelphia. Looking up towards the ceiling, I see the name “Wolf” carved in seven out of ten of pieces of art in Rodeph Shalom. With that being said, my family was once, obviously, quite religious. So, what happened? Why am I not carrying on that religious legacy? So far, I don’t really have answers to these questions.

My father was bar mitzvah’d, but my mom was not. Before I came into this world, my dad went to synagogue about once a month. Now he goes once a year, and in the last two years, he has not gone at all. Because of this, I have never really got the chance to go to synagogue, Hebrew school, get bat mitzvah’d, and have that religious awakening that so many Jews I know have experienced. I wish that I had that opportunity, not necessarily because I believe it would be a good fit for me, in fact, I don’t think I would particularly connect with going to temple, but because I want to make that decision for myself. However, it is unfortunate how many people end up following the path of their families. Religion is supposed to be individual, but so many people never get the chance to venture out from their religious upbringing. 

In my project, I speak a lot about religious freedom, which is something that is quite important to me. While I am not religious myself, I want to advocate for others to explore whatever their religious path takes them, and do so safely. However, in many places, this is still not the case. In many countries, people are still being forced into certain religions, and if they choose to rebel, they will endure consequences, and sometimes, death. According to NPR, religious-fueled hate crimes are at a decade high, and it does not look like these crimes are stopping anytime soon. It makes no sense to me why this is the case, and the majority of attackers are most often quite religious. While many people may have opinions on people of other religions, so many religions clearly state in their books and “rules” to accept all, including people of all religions.