Wednesday 08-08-2018 - 10:27

Durham's Jewish Society recently won JSoc of the Year at the Union of Jewish Students' Awards. We spoke to Isabelle Tarsh, President of the society, to find out about the people behind the award.

 

How does it feel to have won Jewish Society of the year at the Union of Jewish Students’ Awards?

It is an incredible feeling to have won JSoc of the year – it’s really a huge honour. The exec worked so hard all of last year to really increase what we were offering, and we thought that our increased membership was enough reason to celebrate. But to know that our work is being recognised and celebrated by others, and that other small Jewish societies might be looking to us as an example, just pushes us to work even harder, to give Durham students the best JSoc that we can.

 

Why’s it important to you that Durham has a Jewish Society?

I think it’s important that every minority, whether ethnic or religious, etc., has a group they can identify with in Durham. For most we simply provide a community. For others we might provide an opportunity to explore their culture and religion further. And for some we can even help with both, which is really great to facilitate.

 

What sort of things do Jewish Society get up to?

We have a kosher Friday night dinner every week, which is kindly catered by St Aidan’s College. This gives students an opportunity to celebrate Shabbat (our day of rest) like they would at home, and is a weekly opportunity to see friends and have a nice meal. Similarly, when festivals fall during term time we make sure to hold events to celebrate them, whether that means a ceremonial meal or a more relaxed social. We also host regular talks from our chaplain and external speakers from a variety of organisations across the religious and political spectrum. One of my personal favourites from last year was ‘#metoo and the Torah’, which looked at the treatment of women in the Torah (Old Testament for Christians) and how it relates to modern times.

 

What’s your favourite thing about Jewish Society?

For me Jewish society has become like my uni family. The people are all so lovely and friendly, and Friday night dinner is always a fantastic way to relax at the end of the week. That’s why it’s been so great to get involved with the exec so we can try and build a community that everyone can feel at home in.

 

How can other students get involved?

We are 100% welcoming of all students, Jewish or not, who want to come along and learn. The best way to get involved is just to come to one of our events, or to message the exec if you’re feeling a bit nervous, or come say hi at our stand at the Freshers’ Fair. For non-Jewish students who might want a more formal introduction, we will be running some interfaith events in November for National Interfaith Week, topped off by our bring-a-friend Friday Night Dinner and Mitzvah Day, which is a nationwide opportunity to volunteer to help your community, regardless of religion.

 

Find Jewish Society at the Freshers' Fair in October, find them on Facebook or join the group here.