Meet Sara Yacobi-Harris
“You can only be honest in your storytelling if you’re honest with yourself first.”
True self-expression begins by understanding just who oneself truly is. Sara Yacobi-Harris is on a mission to do just that.
Sara was a competitive figure skater for a large portion of her life, and, in her skating, was able to express herself creatively. “It was the perfect portal for expression and artistry.”
Once Sara had moved on from skating, she went in search of the next platform through which to express herself. “I was searching for the next creative outlet, for a way to bridge my academic interests with my interests in telling stories.”
Sara turned to documentary filmmaking to uncover truths about herself and her community. In 2016, she created a documentary called Who is a Jew?, which explores Jewish identity through the lives of five multi-ethnic Jewish individuals.
“Being a person of mixed ethnicity, I was always told that I was unique. I wanted to explore my story and the story of others who come from different Jewish backgrounds to share our stories and experiences.”
The telling of true stories is how Sara hopes to reach people. “When you learn something different it adds to your understanding of the world. Storytelling has the capacity to sharpen awareness of the world and create empathy.”
Honesty is an essential starting point for every story, and it begins, Sara tells, with yourself. “I learned the importance of self-honesty and awareness coming from two very different cultural backgrounds. I have to just be who I am, and not be preoccupied with who others want me to be.”
“Understanding yourself is a good place to start telling any story, because only then can you truly understand others. You can only be honest in your storytelling if you’re honest with yourself first.”
Sara Yacobi-Harris currently works as an executive assistant at the CBC in the Unscripted department. On the side, she is a content creator and has produced the documentary film Who is a Jew?– an exploration into the lives of multi-ethnic Jews.
Learn more about Who is a Jew? here!
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Jumans of Toronto is a window into the lives and passion of Jewish young adults making their mark in the world. A 50-part series, Jumans is inspired by Humans of New York. If you’d like to recommend someone awesome to be highlighted, please send an email to adina@thehousetoronto.com.
Written by: Adina Samuels