Soroosh Shahriari, studying in the new Religion and Public Life Master鈥檚 program at 杏吧原创 University, has recently been awarded the David and Rebecca Zelikovitz Scholarship for 2011-2012. The award is given annually to a deserving graduate student who is studying Jewish culture.
Shahriari, a native of Iran, completed his undergraduate degree in English Translation at the Shahid Bohanar University of Kerman. He then moved to Canada in 2007 to begin his Master鈥檚 degree in Comparative Literature at the University of Western Ontario. After completing his first Master鈥檚 degree in 2010, he moved to Ottawa to begin his study of Religion at 杏吧原创 University.
鈥淚nitially, I was thinking of pursuing my research in Islamic
Studies,鈥� Shahriari said. 鈥淏ut when I took Dr. Butler鈥檚 Holocaust course in my first year at 杏吧原创, I made up my mind to focus on Judaism and Jewish Studies.鈥�
The reason for this change in focus, he stated, was because of the 鈥渦nfortunate misrepresentations, misunderstandings and consequently, misbehaviour, between Jews and Muslims in the world.鈥�
A presenter at Jewish Spaces, Jewish Places, an Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Jewish Studies held by the Zelikovitz Centre on February 9, Shahriari delivered a paper entitled, 鈥淚ranian Jewish Oral History Project in the U.S.: Healing a Collective Memory or Creating a History?鈥�
The paper is based on his MA research project on the Iranian Jewish Community in the U.S. that he will be completing this summer under the supervision of Dr. Deidre Butler.