Menucha Lederman, age 15, Perel Lederman age 19, Henna
Lederman, age 13, Postville, IA, July 16, 2004 Robin Bowman

Menucha Lederman, age 15 No, I’ve never had a boyfriend. We don’t have boyfriends cause the boys and the girls don’t mix. When we’re old enough, you know, to get married— then our families find people. Or you find someone and they check out the boy (or the girl), and then they set up a date . I want to have a lot of kids…. maybe seven or eight. I will marry within the Hasidic community, ‘cause I wouldn’t marry out of my own religion. I think I might go to college. I want to study cosmetology. Like facial stuff, makeup, nails and hair and stuff. If I could fix one problem in the world, I’d like to fix the thing about Israel and the Arab countries and all the suicide bombers. Perel Lederman age 19 To be Hasidic means basically someone who does more than what is required from them. The whole religion is geared to keep yourself separate from non-Jews. Not in a bad way, but simply to protect, to keep yourself Jewish. You have requirements to fulfill, and you have things to do and you can’t forget that. You have obligations… So why is being a Hasidic Jew important to me? Because since I am a very logical person, and I like to have a meaning in what I am doing in life, and I need a reason. Within that Hasidic community girls get married within the ages of eighteen to twenty four. Am I ready to get married? I don’t know. I have stuff, and time, and things I want to figure out… What would I like to do? First figure that out myself! Both my parents were not raised Religious. They were young, in the 60’s, and things were kind of different. But then they got married and they came back to Habad, which is to help other-- help teach other Jews what the Torah has to offer them. My fantasy is to get a degree in law, and then in hand writing analysis and psychology. And to go on and to work in detective work. FBI work or something… What will I really become? A mother. I think that is a very important job to take very seriously. I think I will also go to a community that doesn’t have as much religious Jews and establish it there. Build it. What bothers me the most about myself is that I’m sharp and observant and I can’t keep my mouth shut sometimes. So I say it, and I shouldn’t say it. I should just keep quiet, and just let the other person say what they want to say. Henna Lederman, age 13 I’m Jewish, Hasidic. My personal reaction to it is it’s cool, ‘cause it’s very different. I like long skirts, personally. But you can’t really wear anything above your knee. You can’t show your elbows, and your neckline can’t show. In the summer, you go to waterparks, you can’t wear bathing suits. So I wear long clothes still, and I feel weird, but I do it anyways. My belief in God is important to me personally, because I believe someday the redemption will come and I want it to come. We’re waiting for it. I believe it will come soon. I just believe it; it comes naturally to me. My religion isolates me because other people look at me differently. Being a Jewish blonde is very interesting… My family is very fun. It’s really cool, we have six kids. Five of us are girls, one’s a boy. That’s pretty interesting for him probably, but we have a lot of fun. I personally think my parents are really cool. My father plays guitar and drums. My mother plays harp, violin and piano.