Faith, Fate, and Friendship: Sofi Hersher and Aesha Mehta

April 21, 2017

Sofi Hersher and Aesha Mehta—a Reform Jew and a Hindu, respectively—grew up with different experiences of religious ritual. Whereas Sofi found solace in Jewish rites as a child, Aesha learned Hindu values from habits passed down by her parents. In this conversation, the friends discuss the role of religion in their futures and note the importance of openly discussing faith.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

This story is a part of the American Pilgrimage Project, a conversation series that invites Americans of diverse backgrounds to sit together and talk to each other one-to-one about the role their religious beliefs play at crucial moments in their lives. The interview was recorded and produced by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.

Aesha Mehta: Religion was never forced upon me by my parents. I sort of grew up with like certain Indian and Hindu values, but we never did the regular rituals. And they sent me to Sunday school, the Hindu version of Sunday school at our local temple. But I only went for a couple of years and I never really learned anything. More of my learning I think came from the habits that were passed down by my parents. What was your childhood like?

Sofi Hersher: I went to Sunday school every Sunday and then I went to Hebrew school every Tuesday and then I went to Hebrew school and confirmation. And so my memories as a child of Judaism are heavily based in ritual. But I can remember one particular event when I was a kid where ritual ... I sort of suddenly understood what it was and why people do them. On September 11th, I was in the seventh grade. I was living in Sacramento at the time in California, and my mom is a judge and they shut down the courthouse and they sent everyone home. And there were all of these rumors about the next attack's going to be in California. And people were getting pulled out of school left and right. And it was such a scary day.

I'd never felt true fear I think for my safety in that way. And I got home from school and my dad said, "I'm going to go to the temple because they've arranged a service or a gathering. Do you want to come?" And I said, "I want to go to the temple." And I was sitting in the sanctuary. The whole room was full. Some people were crying. People were very nervous, and the rabbi had the whole congregation say the prayer for healing and the prayer for mourning for those who had died, but then also a prayer for healing for the country and for all those in the world who feel this type of fear.

And there was something so powerful and so comforting to me that we were all saying these exact same words, and that these words had been said by people for 6,000 years in this same way. And it gave me this sense that life was going to go on. Terrible things have happened to people all through history and terrible things have happened to Jews all through history, but the world has healed itself, not perfectly, but in some meaningful way each time. And we have continued and people are strong and people can keep moving. And this ritual, it was the only thing that day that gave me any sense of hope for the next day, with my childlike sense of what was going on. So what role does Hinduism play in the future that you envision for yourself?

Aesha Mehta: In terms of my own personal decisions, it will be a big part of my life when it comes to like dating and marriage and family. I definitely want that as a foundational part of my relationship. And I sort of admire that about a lot of my Christian friends, is that it's not just a marriage between two people, it's the union between them and God. And I never really understood that until I guess more recently. And so I really respect that and I want that in my future as well. How do you envision faith in your future?

Sofi Hersher: I want a Jewish family.I want to take my theoretical kids to the temple and watch them learn and connect with the community the way I did. Something that weighs really heavily on me is that I am a part of the last generation or one of the last generations that will have known Holocaust survivors personally. And it scares me that that experience is going to pass from living memory. And I feel this very strong weight to do something to honor those people. So I think my future is going to have something to do with that.

Aesha Mehta: There aren't that many Hindu role models. And so for me, I see you as a role model in that way, because they're like underground Hindus, but they don't talk about it openly. That's why I admire your openness about it so much because I want to be able to speak about it that way, because it sort of is like freeing in a way. And I'm so excited about it.

Sofi Hersher: I don't know if it's faith or if it's just personality. It's been such a comfort to just have you there and know that you get it. You always get it. And that's pretty great.

Aesha Mehta: Faith, fate and friendship.

Sofi Hersher: Oh, I like that. We should get a sign made.