Our Hyphenated Identities: Andrew's Story

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Meet Andrew Abramson. Andrew is a senior in the Commonwealth Honors College, majoring in economics and political science and minoring in computer science. Andrew identifies as a queer Jewish-American. This is his story:

Andrew grew up in Easton, Massachusetts, a small town 20 some miles south of Boston. From preschool through seventh grade, he attended Hebrew school twice a week, where he learned the Hebrew language, practiced Jewish traditions, and studied centuries of Jewish history. Today, he attends temple on high holidays with his family and on campus is a member of Hillel. 

Although Andrew is proud of his identity, he can’t help but notice that whenever he tells people he’s Jewish, they automatically associate him with Israel and its oppressive state. While he largely agrees that Israel is “problematic and racist,” he believes that people “should be able to separate others from their governments.” In Hebrew school, he was taught about the centuries of oppression of Jewish people. Because of this and what he calls “intergenerational trauma,” he understands the need for Israel. In our conversation, Andrew asks, “If the world were to turn on us again, where would we go? You see, Israel provides that comfort.”

But just by having this conversation, Andrew admitted that he was scared because he “didn’t want to sound pro-Israel, but also didn’t want to sound anti-Semitic.” For Andrew and others like him, it’s difficult to be proud of your identity when others make these associations that aren’t there. 

In addition to these associations, Andrew says the stereotypes of being a gay Jewish man are like a shadow from which he cannot escape. Jewish men are often called “Nice Jewish Boys” or NJBs, hinting that Jewish men aren’t “masculine” compared to their non-Jewish counterparts. Being gay too has made Andrew believe that people view him as “weak” or “unmanly.” The struggles of these stereotypes coupled with the toxic masculinity that already plagues many college campuses has caused Andrew to feel like he’s something that he’s not. 

Fortunately for Andrew, he’s been able to strengthen his identity in the Jewish and queer communities at UMass through Hillel. According to Andrew, “There’s a strong community of queer Jews” who share common experiences with him and are also drawn toward more progressive ideas like him. He’s made lifelong friends through the identities that have drawn him to these communities. And for that, he’s forever grateful and immensely proud.