The Justice

"I pushed myself to do this event because of the power of 'awareness.' I knew that if a Muslim student heard a Jewish student criticizing Israel or the Jewish faith it would create a better awareness of the diverse opinions Jews have about certain parts of their identities. The same can be said about a Jewish student hearing an honest account of the difficulties a Muslim has had on the Brandeis campus," Eid wrote.

Eid wrote that she wanted to create awareness about preconceived notions regarding the Jews and Muslims present at the event.

Andrew Gluck '11, president of the Brandeis Orthodox Organization and an invited participant, said in an interview with the Justice, "At times, I felt uncomfortable-which is often the mark of honest and open interfaith dialogue. I enjoyed that it was a smaller event and therefore people felt comfortable sharing their true feelings. Also, people remained respectful of others' traditions and influences yet felt open enough to ask questions that would otherwise be deemed invasive."

He added, "My favorite part of the evening was when panelists were asked to guess what it must feel like to be a different panelist."

Judah Marans '11, from the Student Union Judiciary who was an invited guest at the event, said, "There were times when it was actually difficult for me. It's difficult to be confronted head-on with people of different backgrounds with completely different views from yours, particularly when you are raised in an environment where there's often a hostility towards the other religion." He added that he thinks it is crucial to be exposed to people of different cultures, as everyone has something unique to offer.

"Often, promoted dialogue can feel forced, and to the credit of those who created the JAM session, the event did not feel stilted, as if there were things to say that people were afraid to say. … Particularly since it wasn't very public, [the participants] were able to be ourselves and not worry about having to be politically correct per se, and we were actually able to learn and share honestly with each other," Marans said.

With regards to planning similar events in the future, Gluck said, "I feel that this event could be used as a potential kickoff for a think tank that could meet once or twice a month to discuss, in an honest and open fashion, problems and issues facing Jewish-Muslim relations.

"If I hope for anything, I hope that I helped create an opportunity for the Muslim students at the event to develop a close relationship with a Jewish student [or Jewish] students that they met," Eid wrote.

She also wrote, " I truly believe that it is these relationships that make Brandeis a special place and enrich the experiences we have here."

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