Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
3 min read
An exclusive interview with the popular social media influencer.
I am reading Dr. Edith Eger’s book, called The Choice, and I am really enjoying it.
How I got to this book is a story. I was at Auschwitz, filming for the documentary. My tour guide pulled out the book. He read me a story about her because he felt I would relate to her. Just like me, Dr. Eger was a professional dancer. He told me about how Mengele forced her to dance for him, and her very life depended on that dance.
After the trip, I reached out to her on social media, and her grandson responded. I met her and her grandson, and spent the whole day with them. We danced together, and she shared her story. I loved meeting her. Dr, Eger really looks at you and listens to you, as if you are the only person in the world. She gives her undivided attention. It was powerful to meet her.
Something that was instilled in me from my family, which I think is a common Jewish belief is to never give up. After seeing what our ancestors went through as Jews, we are in survival mode at all times. We have a mission to keep going, no matter what we go through.
I think this is why I am where I am in life. I’ll continue to do what I do. My grandparents are my role models. They started from nothing and built something incredible.
I think it’s the Holocaust. After I traveled and documented my trip to Poland, I kept thinking, ‘How do you have the will to survive? How do you want to survive?’
As Jews, we have this power and will of survival. More importantly, though, is when we become amazing people who, despite having been hated, we don’t hate. My grandparents became amazing people, with no hate in their hearts. I wonder, How do you not have hate inside when you had all these people hating you?
They went through so much hatred, and yet they have so much love in them, and they don’t put that hatred on others. They turned it around and have so much love inside of them, it is incredible.
Someone who is prominent in the Jewish community is Israel Shachter. He has a passion for Jewish education. He does so much for the Jewish community, and he infuses entertainment and charity work, as well. He is my teacher. He is the one who spearheaded the whole documentary project in Poland. He is so inspiring, and I am so glad I met him.
I love Hanukkah, and I also love Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. For me, this is all about family getting together. I don’t do Shabbat all the time, but when I do have Shabbat dinner, it’s incredible. We get off our phones and experience rest and connection with friends and family. As I get older, I want to do Shabbat more often. There is nothing like it.
I love that whenever you meet someone Jewish, there’s an instant connection. You immediately start playing Jewish geography. There is this instant bond that is so powerful.
The Hora! Hava Nagila, it’s a classic, and always a good choice.
