7 Experiences That Will Make You More Jewish

How many of them can you check off your Jewish journey list?

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By now you know my story: I grew up in a pretty conventional Reform Jewish home on the outskirts of Los Angeles. My mother is a third-generation American, and my father is Hungarian (but has lived in the U.S. since he was a baby).

At 13 I had my Bar Mitzvah, at 17 I was confirmed, and by 18 I couldn’t care less about being Jewish. It just wasn’t a part of my identity at that point, and as I proceeded to study at San Diego State University, I became more unplugged from all-things Judaism — to the point where I didn’t even identify as Jewish.

But in 2013, something changed. And this something served as a domino effect which propelled me to be both a boisterously proud Jew, as well as a “professional Jew” (someone who works in a Jewish field).

With Rosh Hashanah just behind us, and reflecting on my Jewish journey, here are seven experiences that will make you more Jewish: