Everyone has a Fighting Chance

Mayla Bouguslav - Prozdor, Grade 8

When I was younger, my Judaic teacher told me to believe in the Hanukah miracle, that the oil lasted for 8 days. When I was younger I did not believe it because it sounded ridiculous, how could a drop of oil last for even 3 days? My teacher wanted to make sure that we understood the Hanukah story, so she wanted us to write about it. I really did not want to write about it because I did not believe it. I wrote instead how I did not believe in it and why I did not, and my teacher gave me a bad grade and had to talk to me after class about it because she thought that I did not understand. I told her that I thought it did not make sense and it did not seem real and she told me that it was real and I needed to believe in it and rewrite what I had written. She was forcing me to believe in something that I did not. It turns out that the Hanukah miracle is just made up and never actually happened and I hate how my teacher told me to believe in it when I did not want to.

I believe that everybody has a fighting chance at what they believe. If everyone did not have a fighting chance, then how could we have many religions today? What you believe in is a personal choice and no one can take it away from you. When you believe in something, you should hold on to it because it makes who you are today, tomorrow, and the future. In the Holocaust there were some Jews that didn’t want to be Jewish anymore because people were killing them. The people who were killing them were also killing their hopes, dreams, wants, and especially their beliefs. A lot of Holocaust survivors stay Jewish because their belief, that there will be a tomorrow is alive. Those people are fighting for their belief and no one can take it away.

To be Jewish is to know who you are and what you believe in. If someone knows what they believe in then they should keep that belief and no one should tell them other wise. People should find out on their own what their true belief is. When you are younger, you don’t really know what your true belief is. You will probably believe in a lot of things, when you are older you find what you truly believe in.

When you go to school teachers, parents, and other kids will try to get you to believe in different things. A child’s mind is very delicate. Teachers, parents, and other kids should not be telling the child what to do or believe because the child is the one that knows about him or herself and what to believe or not. Most kids turn out like their parents, or in some form, but don’t ever let anyone push you around or tell you what to believe in.

What someone believes in is a very special thing. Whether you personally agree with it or not is not what matters. The point is to listen to everyone and not put someone down. You should not strive to become better than others; you should strive to be the best that you can be. Your beliefs help to build your character.