For the first time, Judah Moss did not spend Yom Kippur at home with family. Instead he brought the Holy Day — fast and all — to his non-Jewish flatshare at the University of Manchester.
The second year politics and criminology student, 20, opted not to travel to London to avoid spreading the virus amid a surge in cases in his area.
His seven flatmates offered to fast with him. “They all learnt about my culture and for a lot of them, I’m the first Jewish person they’ve ever met, or the first Jewish friend they’ve got.”
“They really didn’t know very much about it but it was a way for them to learn about my culture and for us to bond over it.”
Mr Moss, who prepared roast chicken and vegetables to break the fast, said the experience was a “really good bonding moment”.
But he said he missed being away from his grand-parents and other family members.
Mr Moss said life has “been a little bit difficult because I’m not sure when I’ll feel confident to go back.”
He has noticed an increase in students self-isolating over the past three weeks since returning to university and raised concern over a possible infection risk at local gyms, pubs and restaurants.
“If one person gets it, it’s likely that their whole house of probably eight people will have it and anyone they come into contact with will."
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