hmTv at HMTC Podcasts Ep 363: The Past Has an Afterlife with Gilad Avrahami and guest Trevor Stern P2 on hmTv
Ep. 363
The Past Has an Afterlife with Gilad Avrahami & Guest Trevor Stern (Part 2) on hmTv
In this powerful continuation of their conversation, host Gilad Avrahami welcomes back Trevor Stern for an honest, unvarnished look at Jewish student life across three countries and three elite universities. From Haverford to Oxford to Edinburgh, Trevor traces how his casual expectation of “showing up for holidays” evolved into leadership, advocacy, and resilience in the face of rising hostility.
The episode journeys into the realities students rarely talk about openly:
- the campus climates that make Jewish spaces feel like sanctuaries,
- the ideological tensions that dismiss anti-Semitism as yesterday’s news,
- the strange double standard of being seen as “too white” to suffer and “not white enough” to belong, and
- the emotional toll of building community while navigating polarized environments.
Trevor shares personal experiences — from Shabbat tables filled with curious classmates, to spitting attacks on UK streets — and reflects on his years leading one of the world’s oldest Jewish student societies through turbulent times. Together, Gilad and Trevor tackle questions of collective memory, identity, belonging, and whether Jewish student groups should stay apolitical or speak out.
The episode closes with grounded advice for young Jews entering college today: how to choose a campus wisely, why Jewish community matters even when you think it won’t, and why stepping in — not stepping back — can be transformative.
This conversation isn’t just about student life; it’s about continuity, courage, and the quiet revolution of Jewish youth refusing invisibility.
Tune in — your assumptions might shift, and your hope might grow stronger.