Last night (19th May) we hosted our 12th Annual Student Awards, celebrating the exceptional work of Jewish students up and down the country over the past year. Refusing to allow the COVID-19 Pandemic to halt celebrations, we moved the awards online. Over 150 people viewed the event live, hosted on Facebook and Zoom, celebrating Jewish student life on campus, recognising the incredible hard work and difference made by students!
“This year we had over 100 nominations for the UJS Student Awards, showing the incredible diversity and activity happening on and off campus throughout the year, with new projects and ideas even being launched during lockdown. Jewish students are at the forefront of providing exciting enrichment on campus and beyond and this is just one opportunity to celebrate all their achievements and dedication.” Esther Offenberg, UJS President
It was amazing to see such a turn out on what is really a crucial and staple UJS event. Once again a huge congratulations and Mazel Tov to all the winners:
- Education Project of the year (in honour of Fred Worms OBE): Shira Malkin, Plymouth J-Soc
- Interfaith Project of the Year: Stav Salpeter, Edinburgh J-Soc
- Liberation Activist of the year: Joel Rosen, Cambridge J-Soc
- Israel Engagement Initiative of the Year in Partnership with the UJIA: Emmanuelle Benjamin & Alex Halperin, UCL J-Soc and Talia Rose Sofizade, Cardiff J-Soc
- Campaign of the Year in Partnership with CST: Sara Felberg, Leeds J-Soc and Birmingham J-Soc
- Event of the Year: Angus Taylor and Zak Wagman, Warwick JISoc
- Rising student leader of the Year: Lucinda Bathie, Glasgow J-Soc
- J-Soc of the Year: Edinburgh J-Soc
- Alan Senitt Outstanding contribution to Campus Life Award: Emma Jacobs, Leeds J-Soc
Here is a little more information on all the winners:
“Education Project of the Year” was won by Shira Malkin of Plymouth J-Soc for her innovative Holocaust Memorial Day project. Shira created a Room of Remembrance which all members of the University and the local community could visit. Collating the resources herself, she created a room which was immersive, educational, and engaged students with Holocaust Education in a way that had not been done before at Plymouth.
Stav Salpeter of Edinburgh J-Soc was the proud winner of the Interfaith Activist of the Year award. Amongst a number of inspiring interfaith campaigns, panels and events, Stav organised the Festival of Festivals, an event celebrating the winter festivals of a dozen different faiths and cultures, with over three hundred in attendance. It was a huge celebration, where she personally ensured the collaboration of a dozen societies and hundreds of students to highlight the diversity on campus through food, dance, and activities.
Joel Rosen of Cambridge J-Soc saw his amazing work around Liberation rewarded after he organised, moderated and spoke in an incredible panel event called “Dual Identities”, which gathered young Jewish professionals across the Jewish and LGBT+ spectrum to discuss their identity as both a Jew and a member of the LGBT+ community.
An award for Israel Engagement, in partnership with UJIA, was jointly won by Emmanuelle Benjamin & Alex Halperin (UCL J-Soc) for bringing over 100 participants together at an Israel election results event and Talia Rose Sofizade (Cardiff J-Soc) for her role in setting up the Israel Palestine Dialogue forum at her University.
The winner of the Campaign of the Year, in partnership with CST, was won jointly by Sara Felberg of Leeds J-Soc and Birmingham J-Soc. Sara ran an amazing Period Poverty campaign in conjunction with UJS. Building on her success from last year at the University of Leeds, Sara and UJS took this important campaign national. This included having a network of Jewish Students on more than 10 different campuses running simultaneous period product collections. Birmingham J-Soc were rewarded for their consistent and impressive programming and campaigning during the period of COVID-19 Lockdown, including cookery classes, celebrations, parties and talks.
Event of the Year was won by Angus Taylor and Zak Wagman of Warwick JISoc for the Warwick Eurovision 2019 Party. Over 1000 students celebrated and danced together, and celebrated Israel in a uniquely positive atmosphere!
Edinburgh J-Soc had the honour of taking home the J-Soc of the Year award thanks to the outstanding work carried out including: creating weekly Friday Night dinners, implementing a range of social action projects such as collecting food for food banks and sanitary products to eradicate period poverty, supporting Mitzvah Day this year by organising a day in which Glasgow and Aberdeen Jewish Society came to Edinburgh to partake in ecological and homelessness initiatives.
The award for Rising Student Leader of the year was won by Lucinda Bathie. Leading Glasgow J-Soc from strength to strength, fighting BDS on her campus, and lobbying to bring Kosher food onto campus has shown Lucinda’s true leadership qualities and the vigour with which she throws herself at her role has been exceptional.
The Alan Senitt Outstanding Contribution to Campus Life award was won by Emma Jacobs of Leeds J-Soc. Emma has made an outstanding impact locally and nationally for all students as Leeds J-Soc Campaigns Officer as well as an NUS delegate and Leeds Union Activities Exec, standing up for the rights of Jewish students.