One of the most devastating experiences of Islamophobia for me was when my daughter experienced Islamophobic bullying at her school, which included two older boys shouting ‘F***ing P**i’ at her.

Over the summer, I was honoured to join the SNS team as an intern for 6 weeks. Although the duration was short, I learnt many things that will stick with me forever.

Before joining, I had never worked in a professional environment. I was going in blind, not knowing what to expect. I was nervous, excited, and intrigued about what my experience would entail. 

Participating in the Bridge Builders Programme in Cambridge was a transformative experience that deeply enriched my understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and interfaith dialogue. I engaged in discussions, workshops, and collaborative activities that highlighted the complexities of the conflict and the importance of interfaith dialogue. As a Jewish Israeli, I have found that learning about other perspectives is crucial, especially being open to dialogue on issues that mean a lot to me and my family.

The Bridge Builders Programme was one of the highlights of my summer break. Learning about the complexities of the Palestine- Israeli conflict, forming my own opinions, staying on Cambridge grounds, whilst having political interfaith sessions and discussions, hearing from a broad range of opinions and perspectives that have challenged my own and learning to be comfortable with that. 

Since the turn of the century, respectful, intellectual debate has increasingly disappeared from public discourse. While much has been written about the causes, what I want to focus on here is the damaging effect this decline has had on democratic societies like ours, and what needs to happen to reverse this trend.