Personal Narrative: My Life As A Jewish-American Teenager

Carnivals and trained army snipers may seem like a peculiar combination with terrible consequences awaiting. However, the imminent danger went overlooked as they camouflaged into the surroundings for all in attendance, except me. I was competing in the 2015 Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style competition for Jewish athletes all around the world, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, seemingly the most desolate area in the country, where on the concluding night of a week filled with intense competition our efforts focused on unwinding. After devouring a plateful of carnival delicacies, a few friends from Israel to California and I ventured off to the rock climbing wall. Climbing the wall was similar to climbing a tree, a skill I had mastered after years

But because I lived in America the issues were just that: issues abroad. There would not be armed men probing the streets for Jewish people like in World War II Poland. This is America. As I was focused on the walls’ diminutive pegs, these issues abroad were of no concern to me; my problem was figuring out how to conquer the wall. Although I was successful, my eventual triumph was short-lived. As I looked upon the great world with innocence, from the apex of the wall I noticed that the top of the nearby Jewish Community Center (JCC) was not littered with lost tennis balls or monotonous air conditioning units. What I did see were skilled snipers strategically placed on the corners of the roof watching over the entire grounds. It seemed they were all focused on where possible intruders could come in, but one sniper in particular was pointed directly at me. . My heart skipped a beat. One might think this would have brought forth feelings of protection, knowing that America’s finest snipers were apparently serving to protect me, only this was not the case. My grandparents always say to me “You’re growing up so fast,” but I think at that moment I must have grown a full-on beard because on my descent down from the wall I felt weird. I do not know if it was the 3 hot dogs that I had wolfed down were trying to make a break for the border, or if I had reached