Melissa on finding her niche

I feel like I've finally found my niche here in South Africa. When I came to South Africa I thought I'd be so caught up in activities and traveling and shopping that I wouldn’t miss my Jewish community. I expected that like all my other commitments back home this would fade to the back. I couldn't be surprised how wrong I was. I thought that being Jewish in SA would be something I would learn about and keeping Kosher would be easy. I now know that wherever you go in life, you cannot leave religion behind. Being Jewish is a huge part of who I am and how I've been raised. So, it was unrealistic to expect that I'd be so distracted that I wouldn't miss something that is such a big part of me. After reaching this conclusion, I've decided to get involved in things that I really care about.  Here's one example:

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Cape Town Holocaust Centre in town. I was excited to initiate this partnership because I believe they are working on so many great initiatives right now. The current exhibit being featured is called  In Whom Can I Still Trust shares the untold story of the struggles and oppression of homosexuals during the Holocaust.  This powerful exhibit is coupled with workshops, speakers, and shows to exemplify and highlight the reality of a long lived battle between rights and reality for homosexuals in South Africa. The final event of this series is a youth workshop on Human Rights Day (a national holiday in South Africa) which is going to focus on equality and sexual diversity. I knew that I could not let this opportunity pass without getting involved because it it exactly what I am passionate about. My primary goal is to expand my Jewish community while learning from and serving this new group of people who are tied to me solely because they are Jewish. Immediately I felt welcomed in the Holocaust Centre and I am excited for the relationship that has already started to build. When we got to talking I explained the nature of this program and what I've been up to. I think they were shocked because at first nobody said anything. What happened next shocked me more. As I have written previously, I am now in charge of teaching grade 9 history at CMES. The curriculum is WW II and the Holocaust. Once they understood my predicament, few resources and little experience, they immediately offered to help. They invited me back to meet on Friday and discuss getting involved and also give me some feedback for my lessons. I was so thrilled to have found myself a little gem. Not only did I find the Holocaust Centre filled with history and legacy and a unique perspective due to its location in South Africa but I was surrounded by a Kosher restaurant, a book store, the South African Jewish Museum, and the oldest synagogue in all of Cape Town. This was the place I was looking for, a Jewish home.

That night I went to an amazing event as part of the exhibit. During the evening the author of a book called Challenging Homophobia spoke about his work and the book was released in South Africa for the first time. This book brings a feeling of hope and optimism to this challenge of homophobic tendencies that our world is tainted with. The author challenges us all to include sexual diversity in all spheres of education. We are encouraged to teach about sexual diversity in every subject and speak literally about what people we know are experiencing. This form of education should span beyond school and formal learning because sexual diversity  is applicable in very aspect of life and it should be recognized in parents, friends, and teachers in our lives. In a room of people eager for direction, these words acted as a blueprint for how to combat this injustice. I am a true believer that education will be the catalyst but somehow while I was getting overwhelmed by inspiration I also felt helpless because if change can be that easy why isn’t it happening? Later that night a youtube series called "It Gets Better South Africa" was launched for the public. The It Gets Better Project in an international bullying campaign that was started in 2010 and inspired by the overwhelming number of suicides in the US which stemmed from homophobic bullying. The message "it gets better" is an international effort to change the way teens and young adults view their sexual diversity and motivate them to keep on living and share the reality of success and happiness after pushing through the tough times. As I was watching this for the first time I wanted to cry. I cant say if it was because I was upset or happy but I knew that this initiative was something outstanding and I was proud to even just be present to support the efforts of everyone who worked so hard to make their image a reality.  From this film series I was surprised to learn that there are 450 species that exhibit homosexuality and only 1 species exhibits homophobia. If that statistic is shocking to you and you are interested in watching the series please follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbettersa. I realized that is issue is about being vigilant, speaking out and getting our voices to be heard. This group effort expands so far and in the efforts to create a true rainbow nation we all must do our part to create partnerships and promote understanding.  I was really moved by the honesty of the presenters but also the audience. I could tell this was a community that cared by the questions that were asked and also the respect that was beaming from all corners of the room.

When I arrived on Friday morning for our second meeting I was happy because I knew this was a place I wanted to be. From only having been there once before I was treated like a member of the team, as if I'd been there all along. I had the awesome privilege of  going through the permanent exhibit before it opened. I was almost fearful of this because I'd never actually experienced the Holocaust on my own before. I took the time to read everything I could and let it sink in. I was finding myself comparing this to the Apartheid years in South Africa and asking new questions because of what I've learned here so far. There was a certain level of excitement or maybe even anxiety that kept me moving forward but also made me hesitant. I wasn't sure what would come next or how quickly this story would escalate. I was afraid I'd see something I wasn't ready  for. I found a real appreciation for my own history at that moment when I realized that no matter how many times I've learned this it's intolerable to have to be reminded of but at the same time we must be reminded so that nothing like the Holocaust ever happens again.  Afterward I took some time to myself to read over the curriculum materials that were available and to let this all simmer for a bit in my mind. I wanted to scream and I was also very proud. I realized this was my chance to make an impact on my students and to tie this entire experience in South Africa together for me too. I can't neglect the fact that my Jewish background is the glue that ties this masterpiece together. So there is comes, full circle. I was trying to abandon the one thing that for me is my driving force throughout this entire program. I need my Judaism to be an emotional, effective teacher and I need my Jewish community to provide the resources and motivation for these lessons. It's an interesting thing the way life works. The things we expect we'll be ok without are the things we need more than ever!

Some say that February is the month for mourning but I say that February is a great month to be an activist!