Take a moment and imagine being denied the right to do what makes you happy. Whether it is your dream profession or simply the activities you do after school, the choices you make aren’t up to you. Instead, they are influenced by society’s stereotypes. In the book, I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy, the main character, Ruth, resisted and persisted against the unfair stereotypes surrounding her gender and religion. From being discouraged from writing with her left hand to being told not to sing in chorus class, Ruth – even as a child – faced a lot of prejudice, but she never gave in. While the majority of society accepted the fact that males got the “real” jobs, Ruth stood up and dissented that women were too “weak” to work. She also dissented that Jewish people weren’t given the same respect as others. In the end, Ruth proved society wrong and became the first Jewish woman on the nation’s highest court. However, Ruth didn’t stop at this achievement. Using her position on the Supreme Court, Ruth stood up for immigrants, Native Americans, and women. As the book puts clearly, “Ruth made a difference one disagreement after another”.
The book that we read highlighted Jewish ethnicity and the hardships that Ruth had to go through. There are many other famous Jewish people known worldwide who have made a big impact in the Jewish community. After asking many students at RIS who they think are great Jewish role models, we received a range of answers. One of the people that 7 students said was Adam Sandler. Adam Sandler is a very famous actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer. Adam is very well known for his movies, including Happy Gilmore, Grown Ups, and 50 First Dates. He is admired greatly for his humble and modest personality and how he hasn’t changed just because he became rich and famous.
Another famous Jewish person in our society is Albert Einstein. Einstein, born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany, is one of, if not the most famous, physicists. He revolutionised science with a theory he made, called the theory of relativity. The theory of relativity is how you see time and movement depending on where you are and how fast you are going. Albert Einstein was a refugee who fled Germany in 1933 due to antisemitism and ended up settling in Princeton, New Jersey. He is known by many as the smartest person in the world. He made the famous equation, E=mc^2, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921 in the category of physics, specifically for his discovery of the photoelectric effect.
Just as Ruth protested for her rights as a Jew and female, students at RIS are encouraged to have a voice on their opinions. For example, some of our eighth-grade peers have thoughts about our school that they feel strongly about. The most popular issue in our class is allowing eighth graders to have a study hall period. One 8th grader, Drew Gerlach, mentioned, “A big issue in our school that I feel strongly about is not having a free period during the day or at least a few times a week, similar to a study hall. I really feel a lot of people would benefit from having a class where you could do homework. It also isn’t really fair that all grades 6-12 have a study hall except eighth grade.” Drew makes a great point that grades 6-12 get study halls, except that eighth graders do not. Having a study hall in eighth grade is a great way to prepare students for high school. In most high schools, students have a free period/study hall. Having a study hall in eighth grade would help students figure out how to use their time wisely. Managing their time next year is an important skill to learn because they will have a lot more work.
Ruth set the standard for speaking out for groups that didn’t have a voice. In today’s world, there is still a lack of attention towards kids with mental health issues. 8th-grade student, Quinn Monusky, states, “Mental health is something that many people struggle with but don’t have access to the support that they need. One’s mental health is something that can shape their daily lives”. Quinn suggests that in order to take a stance as Ruth did, using your voice to create more inclusive environments would definitely help this situation. Other techniques suggested by Quinn to lower stress levels include art. She describes art as “a great way to express what you are feeling inside without using words”. Both Quinn and Drew highlight the importance of confidently having a voice in your school and addressing the problems that need to be solved. There is no age limit in expressing your opinion!