Jewish Society (JSoc)

The Students' Guild Jewish Society (JSoc) aims to create an environment for students of all backgrounds.

We showcase the best of our culture and religion by always bringing a modern twist to annual festivals, Friday Night Dinners and much more.

What you can expect from us:

• Fun and innovative Friday Night Dinners
  Cheap food, great company and amazing atmosphere!
• Interesting socials
  From our 'Lunch & Learns' to bake-alongs, you can always expect a fun time
• Interfaith events
  From discussions to joint socials, we want to create an extended family with all religions on campus
• Support
  We want you to think of our society as an extended family, knowing you can come to us at any time for a chat and slice of challah

Our students are diverse, come from many parts of the world and each has a unique connection to Judaism, be it cultural or religious. We make sure to accommodate all students in our society and make our events varied and fun for people of all backgrounds and faiths.

The society is here to assist its students in any way possible. Our members study many different disciplines at the University and are always here to help with anything. Additionally, we work closely with the multifaith chaplaincy who are here to help with anything, no matter how big or small.

You will find opportunities to have fun, network, get assistance in your studies and personal life, and much more in Exeter JSoc.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us through our social media pages! We hope to see as many of you as possible throughout the year!

A little of our history

Our Annual Ball is themed on a Jewish festival that occurs around September/October - Rosh Hashanah (or Jewish New Year). In this way, we share our seasonal joys with everyone. Our 2014 Ball was titled 'Israel: Celebrations of a Sweet New Year' and brought together the Friends of Israel society. As a result, we were nominated for Union of Jewish Students (UJS) Event of the Year (2014).

2014 also saw the University's first Interfaith Winter Formal, organised by the Student Guild's Faith and Worldview Executive which included representation from JSoc. The event, held at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter, brought together other faith societies on campus and won the Exeter Students' Guild Awards Event of the Year (2014).

Our society has recorded multiple short interviews with BBC Radio Devon, speaking on modern Jewish life. For our efforts, UJS nominated us for Communication of the Year (2014). During that season, we held a full Kosher Shabbat dinner for the society, which was part of our campaign for kosher food at Exeter.  

In 2015 we secured a kosher accommodation* block in University accommodation, for students who want to continue observing Jewish customs while at Exeter.

In 2017 we were joint winners with Aberdeen JSoc of the UJS award for Best Developing Jewish Student Society.