Beyond Ideology: Rooting Bridge-Building in Shared Humanity

By Nina Feldman, August 2026

The recent CASJE study, Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Jewish Undergraduates and Engagement Across Difference, reveals the nuanced reality of intentional relationship cultivation taking place on university campuses, with Jewish students at the forefront. Dr. Riback Rand’s research unearths the tension between the polarization facing Jewish undergraduates and what has long been the expected response: an in-your-face approach to communal advocacy and activism with limited room for cohesive, effective progress. What has emerged instead is a quiet protest against these standing expectations. Bridge-building represents a powerful form of social interaction—one that grounds connection in the effort to understand beyond one’s own beliefs and invites an open-minded approach to altruistic inclusion.

I deeply resonated with Dr. Riback Rand’s emphasis on “situational self-effacement” as a pillar of bridge-building—described in the report as a technique that allows individuals to “temporarily decenter their own perspectives so they make space for the viewpoints of others.” This approach informs a core tenet of my own efforts: that it is not my place to assert what is absolute truth. By adopting a stance of situational self-effacement, mutual exclusivity becomes an untenable prospect; instead, I seek to foster connectivity by understanding another’s reality with genuine respect. Through these interactions, I allow my perspective to expand, incorporating the insights of others to navigate the complexity of our shared existence.

Much like the subjects of the study, I am grounded in a secure sense of my Jewish identity. Through this lens, my bridge-building endeavors are shaped by the realization that the same Jewish moral values that inform my beliefs can yield a diametrically opposed view in another Jewish individual. When distance becomes evident, instead of being debilitated by polarization, I choose to focus on the common root.

Beyond Jewish spaces, my guiding principle remains that a shared root can always be found when one chooses to focus on humanity. Too often, a fixation on ideology minimizes the human experience, interpersonal interactions, and the cultures that define our identities.

Dr. Riback Rand stresses the value of organic bridge-building because its inherent nature fosters mutual trust that is neither forced nor expected, representing a pull toward our common humanity. This has consistently held true for me. Everyday moments perpetuate my bridge-building worldview, renewing my hope that others are willing to let me hear their stories and share my own.

During my first week of university in September 2023, I made a friend who was my polar opposite: he grew up in the diaspora as a proud Palestinian, while I am the granddaughter of Israeli immigrants. Jad and I embraced our differences not as stark contradictions, but as distinct facets of a shared regional heritage. This became clearest just one month later, in the aftermath of October 7th. Jad was the first person outside of the Jewish community to extend his sympathy to me, asking if my family in the region was safe and how I was holding up. It was Jad who brought into focus that bridge-building goes beyond laying the groundwork for passive coexistence—it fosters real relationships.

I share this story because the beauty of an encounter becoming an anecdote is that it can be carried by others. The telling of my truth becomes part of someone else's expanded perspective—and from there, bridges are not only built, but enshrined as an extension of shared humanity.

Nina Feldman is entering her final year at McGill University, where she is pursuing Joint Honours in Political Science and Jewish Studies. An alumna of the second Campus Commons cohort, Nina remains deeply engaged in Jewish leadership across North America, she serves as a World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder Fellow, an American Jewish Committee Student Advocacy Fellow, and a board member of the Canadian Union of Jewish Students.