Israeli pulls out of Warwick Uni Shabbat dinner event over safety fears
Speaker will not attend Friday night event after Warwick Action For Palestine threatened to protest and branded pro-Israel group StandWIthUsUK 'Islamophobic and far-right'.
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
An Israeli speaker who was due to attend a Friday Night dinner event organised by Warwick University’s Jewish Society has pulled out of tomorrow’s event over fears for her safety.
Jewish News understands that the decision was taken to cancel the female guest’s appearance after three student groups including Warwick Action For Palestine planned a protest over claims she had worked for Israel’s Minister of Affairs recruiting young people into the IDF.
The Friday Night JSoc event was organised by the Union of Jewish Students, Jewish Agency For Israel and the Stand With Us organisation and time to coincide with Mizrahi Remembrance month.
But there were fears that anti-Israel campaigners would mount protests outside the Friday Night Shabbat event.
But student protest groups – which also included the Warwick Anti-Racism Society and the uni’s Anti-Sexism Society wrote to the JSoc expressing “sheer disappointment and anger” that the event was taking part in collaboration with Stand With Us.
The letter branded the campaign group “Islamophobic” and “far-right” and demanded they withdraw the invitation to the speaker and cancelled Stand With US’s sponsorship of the event.
A statement on the Warwick Action For Palestine Facebook page said:”We are outraged and disgusted that StandWithUs have been invited to sponsor an event taking place on campus this Friday, as well as a speaker who boasts of working extensively for the Israeli Occupation Forces. ”
We are outraged and disgusted that StandWithUs has been invited to sponsor an event taking place on campus this Friday,…
Posted by Warwick Action For Palestine on Thursday, November 18, 2021
But on Thursday UJS issued a statement on Thursday confirming that the planned appearance by the speaker “is not now possible.”
The statement said the UJS team member “has been publicly attacked simply because of Israeli identity.”
It added it was “unacceptable” she had been targeted and that universities should be tolerant places which welcomed students of “varying ethnicities backgrounds and opinions.”
It is disheartening that a UJS team member has been publicly attacked simply because of her Israeli identity. See full statement below: pic.twitter.com/G8eYuwTYO6
— Union of Jewish Students (@UJS_UK) November 18, 2021
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
