Chief Rabbi to student leaders: ‘We should be mature enough to respect others’

There should never be a delay in helping those in need and Jews are here for others as well as themselves, the Chief Rabbi told Jewish students from across the UK this week.

Rabbi Mirvis was addressing members of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) from across the UK at a two-day leadership conference, ‘Time to Lead’,  that took place on Monday and Tuesday.

Echoing the cross-communal message of the UJS, he said: “We should be mature enough to respect the views of others…the hallmark of leadership is compassion, empathy and understanding.” 

He added: “A great leader is someone that is a trailblazer – someone who sees something wrong and does something about it. If there is something of value that you really want to achieve, go for it…don’t say it’s impossible.”

Students also heard from the Reform Movement’s Senior Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner, Israeli Embassy spokesman Yiftah Curiel and Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson.

Sessions from the high-profile external speakers were accompanied by seminars from UJS staff on topics as diverse as preparing for Freshers’ Week, writing motions for students’ unions and perfecting social network LinkedIn – as well as a public speaking workshop from the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Abi Newman, president of Imperial College London’s large Jewish Society, said: “I can’t believe how much I learnt over these two days.

“It was so great to meet Jewish students from so many different places and backgrounds, and there was so much respect for everyone’s opinions.”

Today UJS is partnering a day at JW3 – UniFest 2015 – to educate and inform prospective sixth form applicants to university.