The Shakerite VOL 91 ISSUE I

Alona Miller
“Kill All Muslims” -- this message was graffitied
onto the walls of Eastern Kentucky University, next
to an ominous date. “Send All Zionists to The Gas
Chamber”-- this phrase was plastered on the walls
of colleges from University of Maryland to University
of California.
Across the globe, religious minorities are being
persecuted. In comparison, Shaker Heights possesses
considerable religious diversity and tolerance.
Efforts to document religiosity suggest that 52
percent of people in Shaker Heights are religious.
In the rest of Cleveland, 51 percent of people are religious.
In Ohio, 44 percent are religious. While the
rate of religious identification in Shaker Heights is
on par with Cleveland’s and slightly greater than
Ohio’s, the diversity of religious identity is greater.
On any street in Shaker, you might find find followers
of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism,
while across Ohio, 73 percent of adults identify
as Christian, according to the Pew Research Center.
Only 1 percent of Ohio adults identify as Jewish or
Muslim, and slightly more than 1 percent identify
as Hindu.
Ezaiyah Jolly, a sophomore and a resident of the
Mercer area said, “My neighborhood is extremely
unique. Most of my neighbors are Jewish, but right
around this area there are Muslims, Hindus and
Christians I know.”
Sophomore Lia Polster is Jewish and observes
religious services and practices weekly. “I definitely
think that Shaker, Beachwood and this area of
Cleveland is a very religiously diverse and inclusive
area,” she said. She also said the Jewish community
here is larger than in other places she’s visited.
Alexander Palmeri, a youth minister at New
Community Bible Fellowship, a church in neighboring
Cleveland Heights, said that he sees diversity
within religious communities as he travels through
Shaker Heights. “For one, there is a big Jewish community,”
he said. “I also see some Muslims, which is
another example of diversity.”
Palmeri said that there is diversity within the
Christian community. “Most of all, I notice a significant
number of denominations in the Protestant
circle.There’s Baptist churches, Methodist Churches,
Lutheran Churches, so I definitely agree that
Shaker is religiously diverse,” he said.
Polster said she is comfortable speaking about
her religion in Shaker. “I don’t feel like I’m judged
when I talk about my religion, and I think most people
don’t have negative views of religions because of
our religious diversity,” she said.
The privilege of religious diversity in Shaker is
unique, as there are other parts of the world still
Spring 2021 THE SHAKERITE 19