with Jewish groups for a judicial board position at UCLA have added to the dialogue.

Just prior to those two events, UConn Hillel invited members of other student organizations, including the Muslim Student Association (MSA), to its annual Avi Shabbat dinner. The event is a communal meal that serves as a catalyst to discuss awareness of issues related to Israel on college campuses that honors the memory of Avi Schaefer, a former Israeli soldier who worked to pursue peace in the Middle East while enrolled as a student at Brown University, where he was killed by a drunk driver.

“There was no real politics [discussed], just students talking with students,” says Dan Saxon ’17 (CLAS), an economics major who leads UConn Hillel. “That started the ball rolling. MSA subsequently reachedArabia, to discuss establishing a training program for students in Storrs; and is working with Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University, an all-female university in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, to set up a summer program for students to gain field experience and learn English through UConn’s English as a Second Language program.

Chaudhry relates a story that illustrates how students are finding their own way to better understand issues in the Middle East. He recently called another MSA leader to find out where to meet before they had to attend a meeting, expecting the location would be the Islamic Center.

Join us for a talk by Gina Barreca,2018 UCONN BOARD OF TRUSTEESDISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH

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