600 Leeds University alumni call for decisive action to combat campus antisemitism
Letter sent to vice chancellor following graffiti attack at Hillel House building and threats against Jewish chaplain.
Hundreds of former students at one of the UK’s largest universities have signed a solidarity letter expressing deep concern over rising antisemitism on campus.
The initiative by University of Leeds alumni Sam Magnus-Stoll and Mitchell Cohen comes after the Jewish Society (JSoc) Hillel House building was defaced with ‘free Palestine’ graffiti.
It also follows threatening messages, phone calls and accusations of war crimes against chaplain Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch. An Israeli who returned to the UK from IDF reserve duty in January, Deutsch and his young family have since fled Leeds for their own safety.
The letter, signed by both Jewish and non-Jewish former students with graduation dates going back to 1967, was sent to vice chancellor Hai-Sui Yu, with education secretary Gillian Keegan, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson, and local Labour MP Hilary Ben (Leeds Central) copied in.
An identical letter, with just under 100 signatories, was sent to Leeds Beckett University vice chancellor Professor Peter Slee, as Hillel House and the chaplains also represent their students.
Cohen and Magnus-Stoll said: “We were horrified to hear about the defacing of Leeds’ Hillel House and the appalling threats made to the current Jewish chaplains. This kind of antisemitism has no place on any University campus and cannot – must not – be tolerated by university leadership.”
Writing that “as former students, the University of Leeds holds a special place in our hearts”, signatories asked for urgent clarification on what action the university is taking to address their concerns, including how it is supporting the police in investigating the graffiti hate crime last week, how the university itself is investigating and what action will be taken against the perpetrators if found.
They also asked what measures are being taken to “prevent antisemitism of this nature – and others – on campus… what measures are being taken to ensure Jewish students and staff feel safe, supported and valued? and what measures the university is offering to secure Hillel House and ensure its safety”.
Finally, they question whether senior university staff and union officials have taken part in UJS’ antisemitism awareness training “so they are fully aware of what constitutes antisemitism and how to tackle it. If not, why not?”
In a heartfelt post on LinkedIn, Mitchell Cohen wrote he was “shocked and saddened” to see the antisemitic attack on the Leeds Jewish student community centre, as well as “the ongoing intimidation of the university Jewish chaplaincy on campus”.
He added: “Since October 7th, a record number of hate incidents have been recorded against British Jews – with a 537% increase reported by the Community Security Trust in December. This is particularly compounded at British Universities where there have been three years worth of antisemitic incidents in four months, with many Jewish students reporting that they no longer feel safe and are experiencing harassment, threats or abuse simply as a result of their religion.”
Cohen writes that universities have “a responsibility to provide a safe haven for students of all backgrounds” and that together with Sam Magnus-Stoll, they “pioneered a letter of over 600 alumni calling on decisive action from the Universities in a Leeds on antisemitism.”
He thanks all the alumni who supported the letter, especially UJS (Union of Jewish Students) and says his thoughts are with Leeds University JSoc president Emma Levy and the (JSoc) “for their hard work and determination to root out antisemitism on campus. Campus must be safe for everyone, from all backgrounds and all communities. There is no place for hate.”
Emma Levy told Jewish News it “has provided Leeds JSoc with so much strength during this difficult time to know that generations of Leeds alumni are supporting us in this fight.”
A response, on behalf of the interim vice-chancellor and president of the University of Leeds was received on Tuesday, and stated that they are “deeply saddened that our Jewish student community has been targeted by a criminal act at Hillel House and share your concern for their safety and wellbeing. The University is actively supporting West Yorkshire Police and the property owners as they investigate this incident as a hate crime and supported the UJS in swiftly cleaning and removing the graffiti from the property.”
It adds that the university “is further stepping up both our security and wellbeing response for students. Our campus Security team and West Yorkshire Police are increasing visible foot and vehicle patrols of the area, as we continue to strengthen our partnership with the Community Security Trust (CST), as well as West Yorkshire Police, to ensure our community feels safe.
“We will also be seeking a meeting with our key partners across the city, as well as local politicians, to identify what more we can do together to address issues being experienced by communities in the city and wider region. We hope our reply reassures you that the University of Leeds is determined to protect our Jewish student community and all those who play such a valuable role in supporting them.”
To see the full statement, click here.
In response to the letter he received, Professor Peter Slee, vice chancellor of Leeds Beckett University, sought to reassure the signatories that “the safety of our students and staff is our absolute priority, and as such, we continue to support all members of our community who are affected by the Israel-Gaza conflict. We are committed to fostering a community of tolerance and understanding.
“Although Hillel House is not situated on Leeds Beckett University’s campus, we recognise the important role it plays amongst our community of Jewish students. As such, we strongly condemn last week’s criminal act at Hillel House and will support the police investigation and other measures as required. On our own campus, our security teams are briefed to act swiftly to respond to any acts of harassment or abuse that take place.
“We support the right of all our students to access pastoral support, whether through Leeds Beckett’s commissioned chaplaincy services or, through the Jewish Chaplaincy, whose chaplains are employed and assigned to regions by the independent charity, the University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC).
“Leeds Beckett encourages students, staff and campus visitors to report harassment, bullying and all forms of unacceptable behaviour. This includes all forms of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. We are in regular contact with our community to remind everyone of this reporting process and highlight the support available for anyone experiencing unacceptable behaviour.
“While we remain fully committed to embracing the principles of freedom of speech and expression, Leeds. Beckett University expects all members of our community to pursue balanced and respectful debate on sensitive topics.”
Magnus-Stoll told Jewish News she was disappointed with Professor Slee’s reply, calling it “evasive and unhelpful”. She added: “Questions from nearly 100 concerned former students weren’t answered and the VC seemed to emphasise the importance of students reporting antisemitic incidents (such as those over the last few weeks) over the university’s role in preventing them.”
During their time at Leeds, organisers Magnus-Stoll and Cohen both served on the Jewish Society committee in 2013-14, as campaigns manager and president respectively, before graduating in 2016.
Cohen is now deputy head of public affairs at communications and reputation management consultancy, Lansons Team Farner and Magnus-Stoll is a former government special advisor.
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