You might be thinking to yourself, what does it mean to carry an identity that the world already has an opinion about?

Now I'm here to tell you all about it. Hi, I'm Noam. I’m Jewish and Israeli from Maccabi Tzair.

Sometimes, when I'm introducing myself, it feels like more than just saying my name or where I'm from. When introducing myself, I'm saying that I'm Israeli and Jewish. That part is not just something that can be said without understanding what history you’re carrying with you. Behind the saying, “I'm Israeli and Jewish,” there are many things that you need to think about. Such as, when sharing this information, I'm actually sharing a part of my identity, my culture, and my people.

In these moments, I'm thinking about what the person will think or how they will react after they hear where I'm from, but I've learned over the years that my identity is not something that I need to hide or feel embarrassed for other people to know. Being Jewish, being Israeli, is a part of my story and my life, and I'm learning step by step how to be proud of who I am.

For me, being Jewish and Israeli is not just something that I'll forget to tell about myself when having a conversation. The main reason for that is because I grew up hearing stories, traditions, and celebrating holidays. I grew up learning about my people, what happened to them in the past and the present, what is happening right now during the war, and how, in the end, we’re still staying strong.

Most of the time, it's hard to keep my identity when all of my surroundings keep reminding me that they hate me or that I shouldn't be living on my land. My main reason to shout that I’m Jewish and Israeli is because of those people. They remind me every day that I need to get closer to my faith. What really helps me bond with my identity is to pray in the morning, at noon, or in the afternoon. It doesn't matter when, but when I am praying, I feel more connected to G-d than at any other moment in my life.

Did you ever pass by a post online against the Israeli and Jewish people, and you thought to yourself, where are they getting this nonsense from?

If there is one thing you have to remember, it is that most of these people get their information from fake articles and fake content on social media, and most of them aren't talking to real people. Instead, they claim that everything else is lies or AI-generated fake news. Sometimes it's good to leave an educational comment and hope that they actually listen instead of just blocking you. And sometimes you’re really scared of what the other side will say and prefer to stay quiet and not expose your identity. But let me ask you a question: why should I feel ashamed of an identity that is such a big part of who I am?

A really big example of the strength of identity is IC. At IC, you get connected with other Jewish teenagers who are experiencing many of the same things that you're going through.

Remember, you don't have to make everyone like you or think that you’re right, but none of those people are going to respect your identity if you're ashamed of it. Being proud of your identity doesn't mean you have to disrespect other cultures. Think about it the same way you would want to be treated.

One connection that had me thinking about my identity and helped me get over the embarrassment of not telling people where I'm from is a really special friend of mine that I met during IC. His name is Colo, and here is something that he wrote about what it's like to be Jewish in Argentina.

Colo’s Perspective

“Hi everyone!! I'm Colo (Gingy in Spanish), and I'm Argentinian. Being Jewish here is a very different experience compared with the rest of the Jewish world. Just to give you a sense of how much Judaism there is in my country, only in Buenos Aires (its capital) there are a little more than 200,000 Jewish people and more than 80 synagogues. Yes, that's a lot. But living in Argentina as a Jewish person wasn't always as easy as it is now. As you should already know, there were two very big attacks on the Jewish community, one at AMIA (the biggest Jewish organization in Argentina) and one at the Israeli Embassy in the 1990s. So, despite the fact that we can live with greater peace of mind now since we are not typically subjected to group attacks these days, we all know we must remain cautious. The streets are never easy, and regrettably, a Jew remains an easy target even today. Because of this, we prefer to take care of ourselves by not using, for example, a Magen David in plain sight. But this DOESN'T mean staying silent. All year long we organize gatherings right in the street with private security so that the country can see us. We want the world to realize that we are not remaining silent and that, day by day, our only goal is to live in complete peace.”

During the talk I had with Colo, he also shared an example that being Gingy, being proud to be Gingy, and not feeling embarrassed by other people who try to bring you down is like being Jewish. His words made me think about the times when I felt embarrassed to say that I am from Israel. I realized that if he can be proud of something that makes him feel different, I can also be proud of being Jewish and Israeli.

And maybe being proud of who I am isn’t about having all the answers. Maybe it’s about refusing to let someone else decide what my identity means to me. But when I think about my identity as an Israeli and Jewish person, I also think about the people who gave everything so that I could live mine. There are soldiers who left their homes, their families, their friends, and everything they loved and never got the chance to come back. They gave their lives so that people like me could wake up every morning, go to school, laugh with our friends, make plans for the future, celebrate our holidays, pray, and simply live. I will never be able to fully understand the price they paid, but I know that I don't want their sacrifice to become something I take for granted. They remind me that being Israeli is not only something written on my passport. Being Jewish is not only something I say when someone asks me about myself. It is a story that was passed down to me, a people that I am part of, and a life that others fought to protect.

So what I know for sure is that these days, whenever someone asks me where I'm from, I’m going to stand tall and say with pride: I'M JEWISH AND ISRAELI! Because when the world tries to make me feel ashamed of who I am, I want to do the opposite. I want to be proud of where I come from, proud of my people, and proud of the identity that I carry with me.

And maybe that is what carrying an identity really means. It means choosing not to hide it, even when it would be easier to stay quiet.

After everything I shared, let me leave you with one last question, one that I want you to take with you and truly reflect on:

So, if I don’t carry my identity with me, who will?