The concept of The Shepherd came to life after a moment within my family when I discussed the prospect of marrying someone outside of the Jewish faith. While this didn't shake the foundation of our love for one another, it did spark curiosity about the underlying reasons for the tension surrounding the idea. Further research into this topic broke my heart. The horrible true stories of families who disowned their children for this prospect shook me to my core. Some cases were so extreme that they mourned them as if they had died. This mirrors a lot of division that exists within society today. If differences arise based on religion, political stances, or sexual orientation, we suddenly stop accepting each other.

My hope with The Shepherd is that it touches the minds of those who can't see in the darkness of division, and brings awareness to this issue, in hopes of changing it for the better. In times of such division and hate, it's never been more important to come together as who we are: people.