Because of my skepticism, I would hide my faith from others. Religious Jews wear a yarmulke, a head covering. When I was younger, my great grandfather told me the Nazis identified him as a Jew because of his yarmulke. The older I grew, the more I challenged what I had been taught in Hebrew school. Not before long, I stopped believing in god altogether. By the time I left home for college, I became completely secular.
When I entered college as a freshman, the campus Rabbi of Hillel approached me in the Union to ask if I was coming to Shabbat dinner that Friday night. I wasn’t wearing a yarmulke, or any clothing to suggest that I was Jewish, so I asked him how he knew. He admitted that he could tell just because of my face. I laughed, because it wasn’t the first time someone told me I look Jewish. So I went along with it, and told him I would come. Since then, I’ve been attending a lot of Hillel events. Not because I believe in god, but because I like to learn about Jewish culture. I would attend, but if I wouldn’t participate if I was asked to pray.
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