I Am a Jew

By Nesse Godin

I am a baby in my mother’s arms, surrounded by the sound of laughter from my older two brothers and the shining eyes of my father’s gaze upon me.

I am a little toddler running in the park, picking up chestnuts that fell from the tall trees whose branches and leaves cover the light of the sun.

I am the little girl who is in the circle of friends, boys and girls, our hands clapping, our feet stomping, our voices loud in song to the Lord above.

I am the preteen walking on the path of roses, smelling the sweet fragrance and aroma of the flowers around me.

I am the girl who is caught in the horrible storm. The lightning, the thunder, and the blowing wind. I am the child trying to hold onto my mother’s hand but am torn away by the storm. I am walking on the road covered with thorns searching for the roses and the aroma of the flowers. I am the teenager walking on that road, nothing but corpses and the smell of death around me.

I am the walking skeleton surrounded by strangers, women who grab my bony hand and give me hope to go on.

I am holding on to those outstretched arms that help me walk and fight that storm.

I am sick. I am cold. I am hungry. I am ready to give up.

I am listening to the sounds of hope, a sound of a commandment.

Do not let us be forgotten. Tell the world what this terrible storm did to the world. Tell what hatred and indifference can do.

I am almost at the end of that road covered with thorns. I am out of the storm. I am looking for the path with the roses and aroma of the flowers.

I am alive. I am never going to forget that storm. I am not going to allow that path to be covered with thorns. I am going to remember the last commandment that I was given by the women around me.

I am a Jew. I will fulfill this commandment. I am a Jewish woman, feed the hungry, I speak up for the oppressed, I love all the children of the world, I praise the Lord for all that he gave me.

I am a Jew. I will never forget that storm.

©2011, Nesse Godin. The text, images, and audio and video clips on this website are available for limited non-commercial, educational, and personal use only, or for fair use as defined in the United States copyright laws.