Jewish Ghetto Journal Entry

Learning about Jewish holidays and the rationale and history behind the Jewish religion made me realize my own ignorance and the affect that it has had on myself and those around me. We have been talking, reading, and thinking about the purposes and ramifications of borders; they connect and they separate, they include and they exclude, they change and are reinforced, they close and they open. In relation to the Jewish history and culture, borders have had a huge impact on the historical and present way of life of a Jew, especially in Rome.

On the walking tour of the ghetto, our guide explained that the original reason for the creation of the ghetto was to allow the Jews a place where they did not have to live within the Roman Catholic culture. This sounds sensible and diplomatic on paper, but it eventually evolved into a place where the Jews were locked in at night, where they had to wear orange caps in order to distinguish themselves from others around them. Learning about this as well as the stories of the Roman Jews during the Holocaust made me reflect on my own ignorance and understand how it functions as a border. Seeing the uniform that the Jews were required to wear when they were in Auschwitz had a deep impact on me. The blue and grey jumpsuit crafted with thin material could not have kept them comfortable and thriving for long in the dead of winter. That small artifact made me think about WHY the Nazis thought it was OK to persecute the Jews. Did they have no soul? Or did they truly believe that the Aryan race was superior? In my opinion, it was most likely the latter. This crime against humanity was due to ignorance and unwillingness to see a different viewpoint.

I was fascinated to learn about the Jewish traditions, to see the workmanship put into their artistic creations, to hear the rationale behind their religion. In all honesty, I had never met a Jew before I came to the University of Washington, and before the tour, I knew very little about their religious beliefs and traditions. The community that I grew up in was not the most diverse place, and mainly consisted of Caucasian and Asian American families. Coming to the university, my eyes were opened to the diversity of both our nation and our world, and being in Italy has allowed me to grow even more. It is so easy to get caught up in what is going on in your own life and forget that there exists an entire world and history unfolding outside of your immediate vicinity. Every time that I travel I am reminded of this, but forget so soon after I return to my comfortable and enclosed environment.

Through my reflections in this class, I have come to the conclusion that ignorance is one of the highest and thickest walls that exist. But the ironic thing is that we build this wall ourselves. Many borders are built and embraced (to some extent) by both parties, though being on one side may be unpleasant, it is familiar and comfortable. But ignorance is a border that only you can control. Nobody is stopping you from observing, listening, reflecting, and pursuing intellectual goals. People love talking about themselves, love sharing their opinions, love feeling heard. But YOU are the one who makes the conscious choice to listen and pursue new knowledge.