After a year of religious tension at UW-Madison, including instances of anti-Semitic vandalism and clashes between Jewish and Muslim students over a student government proposal to divest from businesses with ties to Israel, a new program is hoping to use religious dialogue to bring together students with different beliefs.
The group, called the Center for Religion and Global Citizenry, formed this year to provide a group of 12 students with the opportunity to discuss religion with students from different backgrounds. The center had its first meeting Oct. 10.
Although only 12 students are in the program, organizers and members are hoping its impact will reach the entire campus. Kyra Fox, a Jewish and Unitarian-Universalist student in the program, said she is “really excited to see what the 12 of us can do beyond this room.”