Every Jew and every Israeli is always relying on us–every single day. Although it may not seem like that, especially in times like these, we represent these people daily. At school, at synagogue, at work, and at our friends' houses, no matter where we are, our actions and words not only change others’ perceptions of us as a whole but also the Jewish people and Israelis.
We are the representation. It is up to us to be mindful of the words we say and our actions. Everyone slips up here and there, but if we do not try to set a good example, then we are the people failing our community. We all lead by example, we all have goals, we all have dreams. To accomplish all of those, we need to abide by simple rules that we learned in second grade; we need to use the golden rule and think before we speak. Often, the news is biased, just like people, it's not that the goal of setting a good example is changing others' political views on the war, but more for them to be able to acknowledge that we are good people just like every other group is.
We are all leaders, and we are all role models, but it doesn't automatically mean that our actions and our words are admirable. Integrity, respect, and kindness are all Jewish values that turn BBYO into a siblinghood, a group of people praying into a Kehilah (community), so if we use them no matter where we are, we can change the negative and wrong views that much of the world has on us.
People are misinformed or uneducated, and instead of learning, ignorance becomes their sanctuary. This is especially true regarding Israel and Jews. Our actions make an impact on our limits and goals as well as outsiders' views of our people. So, instead of acting immorally, we can give everyone an insight into our accepting, warm, and welcoming community and show them who Jews and Israelis truly are.
Leeza Zabarsky is a BBG from B'yached BBG #252 from Rocky Mountain Region and she loves potatoes!
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.