Identity (Group 3)

Rose Salman:

In any childhood, children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities. As for my experience, I understood I was different from my friends in school because my father wasn’t Arab but British, and my Mother was Palestinian in Israel.

Thus,  growing up, that part kept on following me. People questioned why I was named an English name instead of an Arab one to represent part of our culture, while some pointed out how much freedom I was given from the way I dressed or stayed out so late with my friends.

However, I was also growing up in a Muslim family in a Jewish Country now, so speaking Arabic was too foreign. On top of that, people couldn’t believe I was Arab because I wasn’t wearing a Hijab, and, with my name, I passed more like a foreigner. 

I had a lot of experiences regarding my identity, but one of the experiences that shaped me and made me figure out that I was indeed different and stood out was in one of my English classes, my teacher gave us a riddle to solve, and everyone struggled to figure it out. At the same time, I knew the answer.

However, I didn’t want to say it out loud because it was too easy for me when the time ended, and everyone said no to the teacher as they didn’t know the answer. He pointed at me and said, “Let the foreigner kid solve it!” which I did, but it stung me because he pointed out something that should be normal. This was a significant period of social development for me, particularly in forming my social identity, knowing I would be different from both groups.

Amal Assad:

A few years ago I went to Acre, to the old market with my cousin. I wear a hijab, but my cousin does not wear it (we are Arab Muslims). When we were shopping in the market, I saw a store selling various small symbols and shapes, which tempted me to enter without reading the store’s name or the note written at the store entrance. After the saleswoman saw me, she told me that I could not enter here because it is only for Jews, as I wear a hijab. I am an Arab! As she did not tell my cousin anything because she wasn’t wearing a hijab so the saleswoman thought she was Jewish. When she spoke Arabic, the saleswoman said that she too could not go in and buy, even if we just wanted to watch. The race here was different, and they could not accept us because of the difference in race, religion, and language.

Semar Atila:

In childhood, everyone experienced something regarding their identity. The experience that I can remember the most was in school, whenever I met new teachers and asked about my name. My name was strange and unique back then, although it’s an Arabic name, and I lived in Arab Druze society. I was the first one who has the name Semar in our village. Thus, whenever I met new teachers, I was asked about my name and the definition, so I always expected this question. Some teachers used to call me Samar or Siwar at first, and I always corrected them, and others called me by my family name.

Samar Kabiya:

When I was a little kid, my dad was working with Jewish people.  I remember that one time my dad took me with him to visit his coworker at his house, and this man had his own kids. I didn`t know how to communicate with them, I really wanted to play with them, but there wasn`t any way to communicate. I kept saying to my father to translate for me because I didn`t know Hebrew back at the time, and they didn`t know Arabic. I felt like a complete stranger. I never thought that there is another language besides Arabic to communicate with others. I didn`t feel comfortable leaving my dad and go to another room to play. I wasn`t confident enough to rely on my own to communicate with these strangers. Time passed by, and I learned the language and communicated with my dad`s Jewish friends.

Samah Hamoud

When I was a child, I had an experience I will never forget. I went to the mall with my family, and there everyone was speaking a different language. I looked at the people there. They were all different. They looked, talked, and acted differently than what I used to see and hear. Then, I knew that every person has a distinct identity related to many things, just as language, habit, and other things.

Odaya Pinchasov:

I don’t remember a unique childhood story about my identity, but the moment I felt my identity firmly was the first time I flew abroad. When you are in a foreign country, your identity is suddenly more important to you, and you give it more meaning than when you are in your home country. I remember being asked where I am. At first, I was afraid to say that I was from Israel and that I am Jewish because I was fearful of what they would think of me.  Israel has different opinions globally, so I was afraid initially, but then I realized it was not as terrible as I thought it would be. So the insight that came up is that I am indeed proud of my identity and where I came from.