Narrative Summary
Interview with Stephanie Perkins by Dani Yaw
For this interview, I interviewed a Jewish woman by the name of Stephanie Perkins. She
grew up in Kansas and moved to Springfield for college at Missouri State University. Her mother
was Jewish and her father was Christian, so according to Jewish tradition, she was born Jewish.
She told me about how her mom’s family was a big, tight knit, Jewish family, while her dad’s
family was more spread out, so there were more Jewish influences on her life. Stephanie is one
of my boyfriend’s close friends, so I knew her before the interview. Knowing that she was
Jewish and also a lesbian made me want to interview her even more, because I felt that she
would have a different outlook on this project that most of the other people that have been
interviewed, especially since we’re in the Ozarks.
There were a couple of things that stood out as interesting to me. One of them was that
Stephanie came to school here originally, and then decided she didn’t like it here in Springfield,
so she transferred back to a community college in Kansas. She spent a year there and decided
that she actually did miss and like Springfield, so she transferred back to Missouri State and
ended up getting her Bachelors of Science in Sociology with a Religious Studies minor. I thought
that it was interesting that by removing herself from the school and city, she found that she
actually liked it more than she thought. The other thing that I thought was interesting was that
she doesn’t feel a connection to the Temple here in town. Where she grew up, she went to a
synagogue with hundreds of people, whereas the temple here in town has a weekly average of
maybe 35. She said that when she first moved down here she felt like she was the only Jew in the
area, and by not having a bond with the temple she felt more so alone.
Something that intrigued me was that her family dynamic is so different than the
“normal” family dynamic one usually thinks of. Her father was one religion, her mother another,
Missouri State University
Fall 2012
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women
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and now in her upcoming marriage she will be of one religion and her partner will be of another.
She was very open about her upcoming marriage and her soon to be spouse during the interview,
and one thing that she said that struck me was, “You know, Jesus is a big part of her life, and
he’s not going anywhere; Jesus is not a part of my life and he’s not coming in, so it’s difficult,”
but she said they were going to do what they can to make things work. Another thing that
intrigued me was her being an out lesbian as well as a strong Jew. Many religions are very
against LGBT members, however, Reform Judaism generally isn’t. Stephanie has very deep
roots and feels a very real connection to her religion, but also has a very strong sense of who she
is and is very confident in her sexuality.
To me, Stephanie Perkins is a very inspiring woman. Not only did she talk about her life,
but she didn’t fail to mention the lives lost in the fight of anti-Semitism. Her closing point was a
reminder to all of us about the Holocaust, and how many lives were lost during that incident. The
thing that stuck out to me that was a reminder was that we are the last generation that will be able
to actually hear first-hand from survivors their accounts during the Holocaust. Sure, museums
and video recordings are great, but we will be the last ones to actually hear from word of mouth
from the survivors of those horrific days.
Almost everyone that I talk to looks up to this woman for inspiration. She inspires not
only me, but many other LGBT youth (and adults) in the Ozarks to be who they are. She is a
very strong and confident woman, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to interview
her.
Missouri State University
Semester 20##
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women