October 7 pushed me to embrace traditional Judaism 

From a young age, I loved being Jewish. It always felt special to me. I attended Carmel School, the only Jewish school in Perth, Western Australia, since kindergarten. I cherished the traditions, the stories, and the sense of belonging to something greater than myself.

Yet I often felt like something was missing, as though I was not fully connected to my Judaism.

I made the decision to leave Carmel and move to a Catholic school when I was in Year 8. I thought I needed a change, somewhere that would give me space to grow and move forward in a different way. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made, but also the hardest. 

At my new school, I felt the deep loss of my Jewish connection. I became the target of bullying for my faith, called names, mocked with antisemitic jokes, and reduced to slurs. 

Most of the time, I tried to brush it off, pretending it did not affect me, but inside it hurt more than I could admit. There were days I stayed home just to avoid it. I still remember the moment I told my mum, “I’m scared to be Jewish”.

That fear followed me throughout high school. Even as I pushed through and graduated, the experience left a mark on my identity, shaping both the pride I held in my Judaism and the challenges I faced in staying true to it. 

In the months before October 7, I was fresh out of high school and stepping into a new stage of life. For the first time in years, I felt lighter and happier, free from the constant weight of bullying. But even with that relief, something still felt missing, an emptiness I could not quite put my finger on. I had more freedom and opportunities ahead of me, yet deep down, I knew there was a part of myself I had not reconnected with.