A new program has arrived on campus this semester that is certainly unique to the Brandeis campus. While most students have heard of the Birthright program, in which eligible Jewish youth have the opportunity to visit Israel, this new program offers an opportunity for other
Brandeis Bridges is the collaborative effort of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Brandeis Black Student Organization and Martin Luther King and Friends. Brandeis Bridges was created in an attempt to "cross cultural boundaries" and give the students involved an opportunity to "bond over what brings [them] together, rather than what separates [them]." According to its press release, the club includes "a diverse group of Brandeis University undergraduates," five Black students and five Jewish students, who will travel together on a ten-day trip to Israel, January 2 to January 12, in an attempt to "bridge divisions between the Jewish and Black communities."
The ten students going on the trip include the four coordinators: Ryan Yuffe '15 and Alex Thomson '15, former Co-Presidents of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee, Cynthia Jackson '16, president of MLK and Friends and Amaris Brown '16, Co-President of The Women of Color Alliance, along with six other students. The six other students went through an application process and were officially selected last week. The six other students are Naomi DePina '16, Dahlia Kushinsky '17, Mokalani Mack '16, Mira Kessler '16, Amanda Anderson '17, and Gabby Hersch '17.
The bridges website explains how the program relates to the founding principles of Brandeis University. The University was originally founded because during the time it was created, elite universities were placing quotas on the Jewish admitted students. Because of the meaning behind its creation, Brandeis has always been dedicated to equality and has been striving to "bridge the gap between diverse communities and peoples." The Brandeis Bridges Program has the opportunity to do just that between the Black and Jewish communities on campus.
The group, selected by the Dean of Students Jamele Adams and the Director of Hillel Larry Sternberg, plan to host a variety of events through the semester both before and after their trip. Coordinator Ryan Yuffe '15 noted in an email to the Justice that "one of the first events that is planned to take place once we return is a forum where the Bridges fellows can present their experiences to the Brandeis community." In addition, he explained that there will be opportunities for the fellows to use their skills in theater, arts, and speaking to "show the Brandeis campus ... how this can change the environment on campus." All the events would be open to anyone who is interested.
Cynthia Jackson, '16, one of the founding fellows of the program, was first approached last spring. The former president of the MLK and Friends club approached her and asked if she would be interested in taking part in the leadership aspect to the program. The previous MLK and Friends president as well as the leaders of the other clubs involved in the creation of the Bridges program "looked around campus and saw that there was disparity between the Jewish and black groups ... they don't really interact," Jackson said. They were inspired to create this club as a result of this realization.
According to the program's website, the founding members of the program, "saw that the black and Jewish communities at Brandeis have been for the most part distant, disengaged, and uninformed about each other's respective passions and cultures." The founders felt that the non-Jewish students do not fully understand Brandeis' Jewish roots and felt that there has been little interaction "with Black students, and therefore has not been exposed to the community's passions, ideas, and culture."
Some of the program's destinations include Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites. Many of the sites they visit will also try to be areas with diverse communities so they can see how groups of different backgrounds can live together in "harmony." In an email to the Justice, Ryan Yuffe explained, "the majority of the time is spent visiting sites that hold a special theme, such as the Ethiopian community, interfaith dialogue centers, Arab-Israeli communities, centers for civil-rights, refugee communities, and areas of great immigration absorption."
Dahlia Kushinsky '17 is one of the fellows who were recently selected to go on the trip. After seeing signs around campus, Kushinsky decided to apply because the socially divided atmosphere of her high school disappointed her. "My high school was really extreme in its segregation. It was weird if you were sitting with someone that wasn't the same race as you," Kushinsky said.
Kushinsky has high hopes for the program. "I hope to gain a better understanding...of ways different groups of people can interact in positive ways," she said. Kushinsky said she feels very strongly that "every person has something to teach us and if you're staying away from certain people, you're missing out. You're being detrimental to yourself because you're not learning from them and you're not learning from their experiences" and because of these reasons, "you're just not going to experience as much," she said.
Naomi DePina '16 was another student selected to go on the trip. In addition to looking forward to bridging a gap between the African American and Jewish communities on campus, she said that she is excited to gain "insight on Jewish culture."
DePina hopes that the trip will provide her with a clearer understanding of Jewish traditions. When she returns from the trip and after actually experiencing her time in Israel, DePina wants to be able to "show my peers and my community, the African American community, that you can be friends with Jewish people; they do have things in common with you; its not just black people you have to talk to, " she said
The recently formed group of ten has not had much bonding time yet. However, all of the students are confident that they will become great friends by the time of their trip and look forward to helping to bridge the gap between the two communities on campus.
"We are all very different but we get along very well," Kushinsky said. Although they are not necessarily close with each other yet, Kushinsky added, "the potential is there and I think we will work together really well."