This summer, I came to the end of my two-year presidency at Belfast JSoc. I was left feeling like I didn’t quite know what lay ahead of me, or what my place in Jewish leadership looked like if I was no longer President. JSocs are foundational to Jewish campus life, but they also open doors to so many opportunities. Following the UJS Leadership Fellowship, I applied to be a Maker at EUJS’s Summer U. I used grant money to help fund my flights from Belfast to Greece, where I was to spend the next two weeks with the team.

The first week of Summer U was preparation. We had been meeting regularly on Zoom since April, and in July we spent the final few days readying the venue and perfecting the schedule for the week ahead. Our Makers team was soon joined by hundreds of Jewish students and young professionals from all over Europe. I helped the team facilitate sessions throughout the week—some informative, some practical, some recreational. I had never been to Summer U before, either as a participant or a Maker, nor had I interacted in the European Jewish space at all. This was an experience that pushed me far outside my comfort zone—but I’m glad I did it. The grant removed some of the financial barriers to partaking in Jewish student life and activism, enabling me to access some incredible opportunities.

I have never consistently spent so long in a Jewish space as I did at Summer U. It was overwhelming at times, but truly eye-opening. I experienced Shabbat and Havdalah with young Jews from so many different countries and communities, with cultures and traditions so different from my own. It helped me feel more connected to global Jewry and, as a result, refuelled my ambition to develop my personal and professional Jewish journey. I often feel I don’t quite know how to navigate being Jewish, as so much of what I know I learned as an adult—away from home, and in the context of antisemitism and the wake of 7 October.

Summer U highlighted the importance of Jewish joy for me. Most strikingly, I had the opportunity to learn why Shabbat is so important to so many of my contemporaries. Sometimes I’m conscious of pressure to mark Shabbat simply because I’m told to. Yet, being immersed in this space for so long allowed me to partake in the traditions of my peers in a welcoming environment, and to choose what aspects I wanted to bring back to Belfast with me. I’m still exploring my heritage—still learning what aspects of Judaism resonate with me most. But I’m now at a point where I can create my own traditions with my chosen family: a small but phenomenal group of Jews in Northern Ireland. They are my support system, the people I can’t wait to see on Friday nights, and with whom I choose to celebrate my every triumph. I still feel connected to the Makers team, and to the delegation of Makers from the UK and Ireland—who have been invaluable to me from the moment they stepped into my life.

My experiences on both the UJS Leadership Fellowship and EUJS’s Summer U encouraged me to apply for the World Jewish Congress’ Lauder Fellowship. My application was successful, and after Summer U, I flew directly to New York City for the opening seminar. The workplan I’ll be completing over the course of this fellowship is imbued with the lessons learned and experiences gained at Summer U and on the UJS Leadership Fellowship. All three of these experiences have connected me with some of the most driven, hardworking, and talented leaders around the world. Working in the Jewish sphere can be draining, yet being so viscerally connected to the network I now have is empowering—both personally and professionally. This has all been made possible by UJS and the Leadership Fellowship.

Once I have completed the Lauder Fellowship and the accompanying workplan, I am committed to staying in Belfast and continuing to develop Jewish life here. I recently launched Belfast Young Jewish Professionals, a community-focused development network for graduates and young professionals, which follows on from Belfast JSoc. I also had the opportunity to represent Northern Irish Jewry at a conference in Paris in September. The European Jewish sphere—and more broadly, the global Jewish sphere—feels much more accessible to me now. I believe this is a path I would not be on without UJS.

Rheannon Platman  - UJS Leadership Fellow 2023/24