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"Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere."
- Elie Weisel
The Jewish World of Hallie Idstein Hardy
Biography
My name is Hallie Idstein Hardy, and I am a current sophomore at the University of Michigan. I am originally from Washington, DC, where I lived with my parents, Laura and Kevin, and my two sisters, Lilly (22) and Sydney (16). My family is my largest inspiration for my writing. This website, clearly indicated by the title, is largely about my Jewish identity, which I have my family for building and influencing. Everything I write, I write with them in mind, whether that be discussions we have had, lessons they have taught us, or messages I have gotten from the Holidays they made fun and lively in my house.
The goal of my writing is to show the complex parts of Judaism as a Jewish American woman. I hope that through reading this website, you learn something. I hope you look up holidays, names, and themes you might not know. I mostly hope that if you relate to what I write, you feel a safe space here and feel connected to proud Jews.
Pieces
My Excerpt Draft is a piece that I wrote about Passover, a holiday celebrating the Jews' escape from slavery in Egypt. It focuses on the similarities between the story and the October 7th Terrorist attack on Israel. This piece also explains the somberness of my family, and many have celebrated Passover with us for the past two years, since 10/7/23.
I wrote this piece about the hostages coming home after being held captive in Gaza for roughly two years. I write about the raw emotions I felt as someone who has never met these people. I write their names down and tell parts of their story because no one else does.
"Pride" is a piece I wrote over the summer during my internship with the American Jewish Committee (AJC). It discusses the events that shaped my internship and the emotions I was working through while working at a Jewish organization.
This piece is short. Not a poem, not a paper, or an excerpt. Just thoughts I have. It came from attending Rosh Hashanah services and the questions and ideas I was left to ponder. This was the inspiration for my second experiment, and helped frame the questions I asked in the Passover piece.