Panda Game is one of the most awaited days of the entire Carleton University school year. It is the day when the University of Ottawa Gee Gees face our Carleton Ravens in a legendary football game. For the last four years, Carleton has brought the cup home along with immense school spirit. It is a holiday, a school-wide gathering, and a celebration all wrapped into one.
However, this year, the Panda Game happened during a real, United Nations-recognized holiday: Yom Kippur. This holiday is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is a time when Jewish people fast all day to repent their sins and enjoy a big, festive dinner with their families in the evening.
But how will Jewish students fast and partake in this holiday while attending the Panda Game? The answer: they can’t. This year, Jewish students had to make the choice between attending the Super Bowl of Ottawa and celebrating a deeply important religious holiday.
Universities such as Carleton and the University of Ottawa preach about minimizing barriers, creating equal opportunity and respecting minority groups. Yet, they have managed to make one of the biggest school-sanctioned events on a major Jewish holiday, by virtue excluding Jewish students and forcing them to make a difficult choice.
You might think this is dramatic, that it is only one football game, but the issue is far more than that. It is the fact that Christian students would never have to choose between celebrating Christmas with their families or attending a school event. It is the fact that it is one of the many examples of students not part of the dominant religion feeling uncomfortable and left out.
As a Jewish student, I am tired of having to choose between my religion and school. Last week was another major Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. From Sept. 20-22, I attended hours of classes then rushed downtown to help set up for Rosh Hashanah services. I spent the evenings tirelessly ensuring other students were able to celebrate their traditions away from home while getting up early in the morning to resume my studies.
When I decided to move a five-hour drive away from my family, I accepted it would be harder to practice my religion and be a student, but it has felt more like a dual identity. One part of me is a proud Carleton journalism student and the other is an equally proud Jewish student. I knew I would have to write exams on Hanukkah or miss morning services for a crucial journalism class on Sukkot. But I did not think my school, the University of Ottawa, Ontario University Athletics and U Sports would openly disrespect my religion by placing one of the biggest events of the year on the same day.
These are the same institutions that preach respecting intersectional identities yet have forced Jewish students to choose between their religion and their status as a student. They are torn between respecting the holiday celebrated in Israel and by Jewish people across the world and skipping out on a highly anticipated school event.
To the Jewish students who have had to make a choice (yet again) between their religion and participating in an event, I am sorry our institutions have failed you yet again.
One can hope this is the last time, and more thought will be put into setting dates and showing respect for the diversity of students in Ottawa.
Photo by Meagan Casalino
