[Anti-Semitism] Feeling defeated – punished as a student for being Jewish

Right now I just feel defeated. As a Jewish student at a state university, I would have thought that things like the first amendment would apply but really, at the end of the day, I feel punished for being Jewish.

To start, I have four exams this semester on Jewish holidays. I know for a fact that my university sent out a list of dates to not schedule exams on to professors, but it was only a recommendation– nothing binding. I guess my professors just decided to ignore that. Some are on more significant holidays than others (total list of exam conflicts for me is Erev Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Simchat Torah, Sukkot Night 1) but I am making this post after taking that first exam that was scheduled for Erev Rosh Hashanah.

It is extremely hard to get exam times moved but after pulling a lot of strings and offering to take the exam early, I was able to take the exam that was scheduled for Erev RH at an alternative time, after the original time. The exam I took, along with other observant Jews, was significantly harder than the exam the rest of the class took. There was an entire page which was literally impossible as the numbers did not make the situation possible. [I even talked with a TA after the exam (the proctor during the exam was unable to comment) and the TA verified that the page scenario was entirely impossible]. I do not think this error intentional but it acted as a massive time sink. There were also problems which were way more abstract while many of the original exam’s questions were straight from the homework.

I do not know my grade yet but I “took” the original exam that was released after the fact and got about a 90%. I predict my grade will be significantly lower on the alternative exam and that the average on the alternative exam as a whole will be lower than the class average of the original exam. I do not want to request Simchat Torah off anymore if it means I will have to take an exam that is going to be more difficult than the rest of the class’s exam.

I’m also talking with another professor about rescheduling an exam that’s during Yom Kippur and there’s a great deal of difficulty there as well, but that could be another post too.

I’m tired of being made to chose between my faith and my grades. I feel put down. Defeated.