Fig & Vine Senior Profile: Shani Levy-Richards

Throughout the last couple of years, the Jewish community has faced many positive and negative experiences, and we as a community have grown stronger and changed in many ways. Although there were many challenges in the past couple of years, one benefit is the creation of a Jewish student-led magazine — Fig and Vine. This year, many members of the Jewish community were able to contribute and write some phenomenal articles. One such member is Shani Levy-Richards, who has just graduated this year. I had the pleasure of being able to interview her and to share her thoughts to the rest of the community.

The first question I asked Shani was how she felt being a Jewish student at UCSB. She said that overall, she liked it (due to the large Jewish community). By percentage, UCSB has the largest Jewish community of any UC, leading to our community to be large and strong. She also mentioned that she liked the various events that happen within the UCSB Jewish community. Having such a great Hillel and Chabad here at UCSB is very helpful because these events are fun, engaging, and a great way to meet friends. Some of her favorite memories that made her feel like a part of the community have been Pesach at Hillel, and various events at Chabad. She says that she feels like the community here is more welcoming than other UCs.

When I asked her about what brought her to Fig and Vine, Shani told me that she is a history major, and that Jewish history has always interested her. She told me that there is so much to talk about and learn within Jewish history, hence her fascination. I agree — we have existed as a people for the last 3000 years, and within that time so many events have occurred. She specifically told me that one interesting part was how holidays evolved over time.

I followed up with Shani and asked her if she had taken any Judaic study classes at UCSB. I have taken many, and have learned how Jewish practice and laws have evolved over time. She told me that unfortunately, she had not had the time to take any classes despite the fact that she wanted to, but she had many friends who had taken Judaic studies classes, and who had enjoyed them. Personally, I have taken several of these classes with Professor Medina, and have learned a lot about our history, so I am very sad for her that she did not have the opportunity to take those classes.

After that point, I inquired about her experiences as an author with Fig and Vine. Shani told me that she enjoys documenting the history — to her, it felt similar to a diary. She also mentioned that she feels more confident as an author than as a speaker, making it easier for her to express her thoughts. She told me that homework does not feel empowering to create, but since she started writing on her own volition, she feels very empowered in her writing.

Following, I asked Shani about her plans post-college. She told me that she plans on taking a gap year between college and grad school. She wants to do a masters in English (potentially with history). Furthermore, she told me that although her time is done at UCSB, she still has a twin sister here, so she will be visiting.

The penultimate question that I asked her involved how the Jewish community has evolved at UCSB. She told me that over time, the community, through events such as October 7th, the rise in anti-semitism, and incidents of hate directed at specific individuals, has gotten more tight-knit. The Jewish community at UCSB, and within the greater world, has been through a lot, so in order to ensure that we are able to prosper, our communities have gotten stronger.

I then asked her if she had anything else to share, and she told me to let every know that she wishes them good luck. Overall, Shani has contributed greatly to the community by teaching us all about the history, and she will be dearly missed. Let's all wish her a successful time at graduate school, and hope that she visits Santa Barbara very soon!