OPINION: My student days weren’t ‘the best of my life’
Helena Baker, new J-Soc Officer for London and the South East, reveals why her student days weren’t all they were cracked up to be. After three years of student loans, stressful exams and of course, J-Soc, she’s delighted to have started work at UJS.
I decided to join UJS was because while I did not love University life, I did love J-Soc. I was what you would call a ‘keeno’ – although I wear this title with pride.
I went to Durham, a University with a small Jewish community. That was precisely why I chose it; after a lifetime in Jewish education I wanted to spread my wings.
Those wings, of course, found me right back at the Freshers stall for J-Soc and I never looked back. In my second year, I was elected President and I loved organising events, welcoming people and even trying to reach out to the wider student community. In a University where there aren’t many Jews, J-Soc really did feel like a second home.
Being President allowed me to avoid everything I did not enjoy about being a student. Whilst I know there are those of you whom relished never getting dressed in the morning, watching Jeremy Kyle every day and living off heavy carbs and cheap alcohol; I am afraid I cannot join in the nostalgic refrain of the student days being the best of my life.
I was bored and poor and spent every Pesach stressed about exams, without even having the recourse of yummy junk food. (FYI: there is such a thing as too much chocolate covered matza, and it’s after about two sheets.)
As most of you threw your hats in the air at graduation with fear in your hearts about ‘the real world’ – and hoping that the picture would be flattering enough for a cover photo on Facebook – I felt relief and exuberance knowing I would finally be earning money and quite frankly, at having a reason to get dressed in the morning.
I was officially joining the working world. It is, of course, somewhat ironic that I am now working for UJS and whilst I am leaving the student world, my job, by definition will mean I am intrinsically linked to the student community.
Nonetheless, I am very excited to begin working with Jewish Societies. Students often find themselves with lots of time – History students, I’m looking at you with your 5 contact hours a week – and are thus often searching for something to get involved with, be passionate about and to be proud of.
J-Soc is not only great CV filler, but if you reach the highest echelons of keenness (which is not an easy feat) it’s an activity that could lead to a job on the UJS team when you graduate. It’s also a space in which you might genuinely find yourself – without spending thousands of pounds on a ‘gap yah’ in Thailand.
For the future budding leaders of the Jewish community, the aspiring workers at *insert big financial corporation here* or the hopeful politicos amongst you, J-Soc can be a place to explore and develop your skills, whether on committee or through the links built at UJS.
It is also a place to meet new friends and explore what your Jewish identity means to you. Also, and perhaps most importantly, it is a place to get good Kosher Food. So, get involved!
If you want to find out more about J-Soc email me at helenab@ujs.org.uk or tweet me at @Helena_ujs. I have recently discovered Twitter and I am rather enjoying using hashtags!
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
