Freshman Hannah Gale recites Torah portions with Rabbi Eric Linder at her bat mitzvah in March 2013. Gale is an adopted Chinese-American Jew who, despite initial struggles, has embraced her heritage. Photo courtesy of Hannah Gale.
By HANNAH GALE – Guest Writer
“How are you Jewish? I thought you were Asian.”
Growing up surrounded by my family, I knew I didn’t look like any of them. I was adopted from Hubei, China on my first birthday: Feb. 27, 2001. People always ask when my parents told me I was adopted, but they never distinctly told me. I always just knew.
As a child, I went to classes to learn Chinese and I participated in the Asian Children Mentoring Program, a collaboration of the Athens Area Families of China Adoption and the Asian American Student Association, a group for adoptees from China and other Asian countries to meet with one another and with adults who share our heritage.
But as a child, I was comfortable with the fact that I was adopted.
However, as I grew older, I became very self-conscious of my Chinese middle name — Churui. I didn’t want anyone to know it, so on all of my school forms I only wrote “Hannah Elizabeth Gale.”
Looking back, I realize I related being adopted to being unwanted. I tried to separate myself from my Chinese heritage. I hated talking about my adoption and whenever my parents brought up the possibility of visiting China, I became very distant. Until recently, I never told my parents my actual reasons for not wanting to go back.
Every time I thought about my adoption I thought of being a disappointment. My biological parents didn’t want me because of my gender–because I wasn’t a boy. I wasn’t good enough to stay with them. I didn’t think my (adoptive) parents would understand where I was coming from, but I was completely wrong.
Talking to them made me feel more comfortable in my skin.
Living in the South, being Asian and being adopted has made me feel “outside the box.” Being Chinese and being Jewish has placed me firmly outside of any figurative box. Since I moved to the United States, my family has become more involved members of the Congregation Children of Israel, Athens’ Reform synagogue.
Despite always feeling a little out of place, the community at CCI has brought me amazing experiences. I get to experience a community of accepting people who share my spirituality.
Because I am Jewish, I got to have the amazing opportunity of having a bat mitzvah. Learning Torah for two years made me appreciate my religion even more. I got to understand my faith on a deeper level, and when the day finally came I was overjoyed to share my celebration with my community.
Being an adopted Asian Jew has shaped me into the person I am today. I may be different than everyone else around me, but my unique identity defines me, and I am proud of that.
