Conversation with Yehudis Fletcher Event

Jewish studies. MA student Yehudis Fletcher will feature in the Sandra Seltzer Silberman Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Conversations Series on November 18, 2025 4.30pm (11:30 am EST), held online. Fletcher has recently published her memoir 'Chutzpah! A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality and Daring to Stay' with Penguin and is an author, scholar and activist within her Charedi community. Further information and zoom link here.

Career Spotlight: Editorial Assistant

For students. If you love working with language, ideas and getting things ready for publication, an editorial assistant role could be for you. Editorial assistants support the whole process of bringing content — whether books, journals, online articles or magazines — from manuscript to finished product. With your RELT degree, you’ve developed strong research and writing skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to think critically about meaning and context — all of which are useful in this role. A profile on the role is available on Prospects. Check it out for more details and then book a careers meeting to explore how your skills could map into editorial and publishing.

Event: Jewish Women and Women’s Rights at Manchester Jewish Museum

Jewish studies. On Thursday, 27 November, Manchester Jewish Museum is hosting a panel discussion on Jewish suffragettes and Jewish women’s experiences. The event is presented in collaboration with the Pankhurst Museum and will feature our Honorary Research Fellow and recent PhD grad, Sherry Ashworth. Along with Poppy Beswick (Pankhurst Museum), Robyn Ashworth-Steen (the first woman Rabbi appointed in Manchester) and Esty Bruck (The Friendship Circle), they will explore the pivotal role of Jewish women in the suffrage movement and their enduring influence on modern feminism. Discounted £5 tickets for attendees under 30. Further information.

Recruiter in Residence - Teach First

Employability. Part of the new Recruiter in Residence programme and open to all students, this is your chance to meet recruiters from Teach First and find out about their roles. This is a great opportunity to gain an insight into what a leading graduate recruiter looks for in a potential candidate and receive hints and tips for a successful application. You might also want to speak to them about their selection processes, their company culture, what a typical day would entail, or even find out more about their sector as a whole. Thursday 13th November, 11:00-15:00, Ground Floor University Place, no need to book. 

Faith Stories on Campus

Interfaith Week 2025. 'Faith Stories on Campus' is a collaborative event for the Faith and Belief Forum for sharing personal stories, taking part in group reflections, and co-creating a commitment of practical ways to make campuses more inclusive and supportive for people of all faiths and none. There will be hot drinks and snacks, but it is recommended to eat dinner before or after. Anyone who studies or works at a university in the North of England is welcome. Wednesday 12 November 6pm to 8:30pm Room 1.008, Roscoe Building, The University of Manchester, Brunswick Street, M13 9PL (accessible). Register for further details.

Papers at Society of Biblical Literature/American Association of Religion

Biblical Studies. Scholars of religion will congregate in Boston for the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting November 22–25, 2025. Siobhán Jolley is presenting two papers on the Bible and art; Holly Morse is presenting 'Encountering Eve: Feminist Reflections on the First Woman'; and Kengoro Goto (NTC) is presenting 'A Variationist Sociolinguistic Approach to Northwest Semitic Data for the Assessment of the Regional Association of Biblical Texts'. The Manchester Wesley Research Centre are hosting a session in the American Academy of Religion section on the theme 'Individuals and Institutions: Intersections of Gender, Culture and Historiography' with papers from David Bundy and Stephen Wright from NTC.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 24th November: Raj Patta (UoM alumni) "A Decolonial Reading of the Nicene Creed from a Dalit theological perspective." 3–5pm in Samuel Alexander A116 and online. Email Siobhán Jolley or Holly Morse for the online link. 

Screen & Talk

 

UK Jewish Film Festival. The Centre for Jewish Studies is a proud sponsor of the screening of the short programme British-Jewish Life on Film on Wednesday 3 December 2025, 18:30, at HOME, Manchester. The short films explore the diversity of British Jewish life and identity in Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich and Lincoln. Including the two winners of the Pears Short Film Fund at UK Jewish Film 2025, BESHERT, starring BAFTA-nominated actor Anton Lesser (WOLF HALL, GAME OF THRONES, THE CROWN) and TO FLY OR TO FLOAT starring Ben Caplan (SMALL AXE). This event is part of the UK Jewish Film Festival 2024.

National curriculum review in England

Religious studies in schools and colleges. The Guardian reports that 'the year-long curriculum and assessment review was asked by the government to look at primary, secondary and aged 16-19 phases of state education in England.' Proposal 5 of the ten key recommendations is 'Expand Religious Education. Religious education should be made part of the national curriculum at all stages, taking its content out of the hands of local advisory councils. The review heard evidence that RE provision in many schools “is not good enough and does not prepare pupils adequately for life beyond school”.' The Curriculum Review and Assessment report itself states 'Stakeholders’ responses to our Call for Evidence showed there was a strong consensus about the subject’s importance and its essential place in a school’s curriculum, stressing its important role in children and young people’s intellectual, personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. RE is a place where they encounter differing beliefs, sometimes for the first time, understand the tenets of major faiths, and learn how to reason and wrestle with existential questions... RE provides a space for pupils to learn about human mutuality and reciprocity, that it develops their capacity to understand one another, and that it supports strong, secure, and confident communities with good relationships. Given the role that religion, belief and values play in local, national, and international events, it continues to be vital for children and young people to have access to high-quality RE.'

BBC Radio 4, Sunday

Religious studies at university. Scott Midson has been interviewed on Radio 4's 'Sunday' programme with Robert Beckford about the future of TRS degrees on 2nd November. The segment starts about 11:30, with Scott on from about 16:00. Listen here.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical studies. 17th November: Dr Katie Turner (Public Historian & Educator), "Putting on the New Self:Representing Conversion with Costume Change in Bible Films", 3-5pm – Room A116 Samuel Alexander Building and Zoom. For further information and Zoom link, please email Lynne Potts.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 10th November. Meghan Rose Donnelly (UoM) 'The Convent in the Community: How secular Use of Sacred Space Contributes to Catholic Nuns’ Pursuit of the Good in Eastern Indonesia." 3–5pm in Samuel Alexander A116 and online. Email Siobhán Jolley or Holly Morse for the online link. 

Manchester Momentum Coaching and Development Programme

Employability. Manchester Momentum is the University’s coaching and development programme for second-year undergraduate students of Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage with home status. Benefit from: Personalised 1-1 coaching sessions; Learn how to set and meet your goals; Develop skills that matter to you; Grit workshop to develop your mindset; Community activities to build your network; Ongoing support to help you succeed at Manchester and beyond. Applications close on 24th November, 5PM. Apply here.