Hunter’s Shoe
My Shoe Story
Hi, my name is Hunter. My CTeen story starts not too long ago. Unlike my peers, I didn’t know about the club until my senior year in High School. It all began with the shoe game. It sounds crazy, so let’s start from the beginning.
Originally from Russia, my family is not religious, my Jewishness stretches as far as munching on a box of Matzah from Fry's (the flavored kind of course!). I’d been to synagogue once before but it had been pretty boring. Halfway through my senior year of high school I hear about this Kosher Food Club. The only reason I knew about the club was because I was a teacher’s assistant in the classroom where it was held, once every two weeks. I figured that I’m already in the classroom, so instead of leaving for break, I’ll just stay and try it out, nothing much will happen, right? Or so I thought. The Kosher Food Club, or as it was nicknamed, KFC, was actually quite fun and the students in it were kinda cool. Yet while I did participate, I kept mostly to myself so noone knew I was Jewish... until the shoe game.
During one of the club meets, while we’re all munching on great food, Rabbi T announces for everyone to throw one of their shoes in the middle and then grab someone else’s shoe. In order to get your shoe back from whoever grabbed your shoe, you need to answer a question they ask about themselves. It just so happens that I had grabbed Rabbi T’s shoe. He needs it back. But first, he's gotta answer my question. Off the top of my head I ask, “Am I Jewish?” He pauses, thinks and says with a trace of uncertainty, “Yes?” Rabbi T got his shoe back and the rest as they say is history.
Soon after I joined the extra-curricular club Thursday meets. The first thing I noticed was how everyone was friends and so accepting of new people, like myself. I started to feel like I had found a warm family of friends. This was very important to me, because at Perry High School there had been a few uncomfortable cases of hate crimes. Swastikas were found outside the school and one boy dressed up as Hitler. Being part of the Cteen club made me feel included, safe, normal. I knew that I have a place where I will always be welcomed and have a common denominator we all share, our proud Jewish roots. When we put up a menorah in our school for the first time and I showed the picture to my mom and aunt, they were so proud!
Later, I joined the International Shabbaton in New York City, it was so cool to see what Jewish life is in the “shtetl”! Most of my friends back home were Christian, so finding a community who I could connect with Jewishly and who accepted me for just the way I am was just incredible.
This past Summer I joined CTeen University, a college level course in Jewish basics offered by our club, and it taught me so much. I had never read Torah before and learning somehow made me feel more Jewish and helped explain why we do things, not just what we do.
And to think that it all started because of my shoe...