Video Installation screen 4: Sigal Hirsch

Text Panel

Hi, my name is Sigal. I’m a third-generation New York Jew.
I live a fully American lifestyle, but Judaism is at the very least in the background of everything I do. It shapes my choices, my values
and my priorities in life, and has led me to a career in Jewish education.
I grew up in a conservative household. We keep kosher, are Shomer Shabbat, and go to shul most Shabbatot. It has been easy being a Jew in America, with conservative communities blocks away from one another in Manhattan, kosher restaurants and supermarkets, and a large enough Jewish population that antisemitism and ignorance are things I rarely come across.
Being a conservative Jew in America has always made me feel that I’m part of a community of choice. People adhering to Jewish values, ritual and custom because they find personal meaning in them. It’s a community that cares about and fights for the rights of women, and people in the LGBTQ community, so that everyone can participate and live rich Jewish lives.