Welcome to the ‘Being at University’ podcast. I’m Harriet
Harris, Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh, and in this first series we
explore what it is like being people of particular faith or belief at
University.
What I love about this series is hearing students talk about
how their faith or beliefs bring them connection and community, exposure to
different perspectives, and the grace to negotiate difference. They also talk
about challenges, including discrimination and micro-aggressions. And we hear
lots throughout this series about choosing a university, arriving at
university, making friends, joining societies – the stuff of student life.
Today I am joined by Stav Salpeter, a 4th year
International Relations and International Law undergraduate from Israel and
Norway, and the Interfaith and Intrafaith Officer within the Jewish Society. Stav
found a warm welcome at university, and also some resistance to her as a Jew
and an Israeli. She responded by bringing people together: co-creating the
Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue Society, which now has global reach, working with
the Student Association to have Jewish Students recognised within their
minority ethnic work, and being part of the inspirational Co-Existence
initiative which brings students together from all faiths and none.
Stav gives us a taste of the vibrancy and diversity of
Jewish community. Coming from a largely secular Jewish background herself, Stav
has been able to discover at university so many other ways of being Jewish. She
gives the most delightful account of the Friday Night (Shabbat) dinners, which
will make us all want to go along – and to which we are all welcome!
Music: ‘Avulekile’ by Soweto Melodic Voices, from their CD
Harambee, 2014.
Soweto Melodic Voices is a youth choir from Soweto,
supported by the University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy to perform at the Edinburgh
Fringe, to inspire young people and schools in Edinburgh, and to record music
in Soweto. For details of the Edinburgh-Soweto link see here.