The events of October 7th and the ongoing conflict overseas have affected many students within the LS community in some way or another, especially if they are part of the faith groups involved in the conflict. In light of this ongoing impact in our school community, the Jewish Students Union (JSU) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) decided to partner in order to create a space in which they could talk and recognize each other’s experiences. They realized after October 7th that rather than let the conflict divide them, they wanted to use this as an opportunity for growth. In accordance with this hope, the two groups have created a promising partnership. As Ms. Weisse, the MSA faculty leader said, the groups wanted to find a way to approach the topic constructively by “working together rather than apart”.
Rather than jumping into topics right off the bat that would lead discussion to an impasse, they began by just getting to know each other. They introduced themselves and shared personal experiences with antisemitism and Islamophobia. They talked about parts of their religious identity that they love, as well as assumptions about this identity they struggle with. The discussion has focused on personal accounts and I-based statements. According to Miss Weisse, this created a space for “productive, intelligent, fact-based and also personal experience conversations”. The groups will be meeting again soon with invited members of the MSA and JSU, along with LS staff members to delve further into the conversation. Junior Mikhal Shvartsman, the student leader of the JSU stated, “I think by just hearing each other’s experiences and thoughts we’re going to have a much more equitable society with much more equitable thinking and ideas. I think our overall goal of these meetings is to say I see you. I recognize your experiences”. Both groups thought that the discussions have been a great starting point for a long lasting partnership. Junior Leena Muntasser, co-leader of the MSA said, “One of the main goals is the longevity of this relationship. We don’t just want to do one thing here and there, we want to make sure this is a consistent relationship”.
The groups also hosted a Semitic languages event alongside the LS Languages department. This was to “focus on the positives of what we have in common” as Ms. Weisse remarked. Mikhal also said, “By representing our communities we have a more diverse LS community and a more productive one… Funnily enough, it feels revolutionary to be cooperative rather than polarizing”. Both the MSA and the JSU have also been working with Andrew Stephens to create an anti-antisemitism and anti-Islamophobia event at LS. Both groups agree that this fight against Islamophobia and antisemitism is extremely important to focus on. As Leena said, “We’ve had a lot of great discussions and found a lot of common ground”. The relationship is off to a great start and looks to have set an optimistic precedent at LS.
