Brandeis Bridges, a multicultural initiative on campus, held its first annual conference on Sunday in order to discuss its mission of bringing together the black and Jewish communities. The initiative brings the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Brandeis Black Student Organization, and Martin Luther King and Friends Club together to try to cultivate a bridge between these historically unified groups.

Over winter break, Brandeis Bridges sent 10 fellows, five of whom identify as black and five of whom identify as Jewish, to Israel along with Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Brandeis Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Elyse Winick '86 in order to address the issue of black and Jewish relations on campus. The group toured the country in order to "cross cultural boundaries together, create an environment in which the participants understand each other better and bond over what brings us together, rather than what separates us," according to the Brandeis Bridges Facebook page.

At the event, two of the fellows, Amanda Anderson '16 and Mira Kessler '16, along with Adams and Winick, discussed the trip and many highlights that allowed them to recognize similarities between cultures, and how they could connect to one another. "Every single person here is a teacher, and we are all students," Anderson said during the event. "I believe that it is our job as teachers to educate each other and ask questions, because only when you ask questions can you really seek their true answers and begin to learn about people."

The sentiment of the necessity of understanding other cultures was consistent throughout the event. Winick spoke about how there was a disconnect between the black and Jewish cultures because the Jewish students on the trip had the shared deep history of Israel, while the black students did not have a single shared background in the same way. Winick said that their tour guide had told them that "[y]ou cannot build a future if you do not know your past." She said she realized how that was a belief ingrained in the Jewish community but did not always hold true in other cultures.

After the panel, people gathered for a group discussion about the challenges that arise when trying to create a cross-cultural dialogue. The fellows opened the discussion by asking what made audience members feel awkward and what questions audience members had that they did not feel comfortable asking when it came to the issues of race and religion. This question led to an hour-long discussion that spanned topics from self-segregation to personal identity.

One of the main topics broached in the discussion was the appropriate setting and manner in which to talk about race. Many people said they felt that too often at Brandeis these conversations are in very formal settings and are framed in the context of social justice. While students admitted that can be positive, several people mentioned that it is just as important to get to know people who are different from yourself in an informal setting, such as over a meal at the Usdan Student Center or playing a round of pool in the game room.

"I think people are scared just to have a fun conversation with other people, and it always has to be about social justice," BBSO president Jhanezia Stevens '16 said at the event. "Every time I talk to you I don't need to talk about civil rights." Several students made similar comments, expressing that people are extremely concerned about being politically correct to the point of becoming overly formal.

Brandeis Bridges looks to the history of blacks and Jews working together toward social justice and hopes to continue this dialogue, as they mention on their website. The group hopes to improve racial and religious relations on campus through similar discussions and programs and said during the panel that they hope to possibly follow the trip to Israel up with a similar trip to Ghana.

The initiative's purpose is to facilitate this sentiment of cross-cultural understanding spreads across campus, within the black and Jewish communities and hopefully beyond. "To really create a solid foundation and understanding of being a holistic and well rounded individual means understanding the narratives of more than just your race or people who identify the same way as you," Brandeis Bridges coordinator Amaris Garcia '16 said in an interview with the Justice.
*