Narrrow Bridge FellowsHIP

The Narrow Bridge Fellowship (NBF) is an extension of the Narrow Bridge Project at Brown University, through which select graduates of the learning group worked with Rabbi Dardashti to extract and adapt the learnings from their work to be shared more broadly. The four 20’-21’ research fellows spent an academic year studying, debating, and synthesizing the material from the Project, and conducting additional research to fill in the gaps. Over the following summer and fall, the two 21’ writing and design fellows (one of them continuing from the research fellowship) took this learning and brought the Love Thy Neighbor guidebook to life. They created this resource in the hopes of translating their learning into action.

Love Thy Neighbor is a resource designed to identify, confront, and unpack the complicated issue of antisemitism, a term that refers to the oppression of and discrimination against Jewish people. The title comes from a verse in the Torah in which God instructs God’s people, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself ” (Leviticus 19:18). As the topic of antisemitism has become increasingly fraught in recent years, we have felt the need to encourage our non-Jewish allies to stand up for us as Jews, as well as ensure that our own self-advocacy does not come at the expense of others'. Our chosen title thus reflects our central purpose to cultivate more compassionate conversations with our Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors about Zionism, Israel/Palestine, Judaism, and antisemitism, keeping in mind the narratives of both Jews and Palestinians.

Love Thy Neighbor was created out of a need for clarity. The students who have worked to bring this guidebook to life sensed confusion and a lack of understanding, both within ourselves and amongst our peers, around the topic of antisemitism – politics and identity aside. Yep, you heard that correctly: this is a resource intended to help any and every reader engage in dialogue that productively combats antisemitism. Whether you consider yourself ideologically left, right, or center, this guide is for you.