Jewish students: ‘We’ve had enough’
Union of Jewish Students launches online petition calling for an end to virulent campus antisemitism
More than 2,000 current and former Jewish students have signed an online petition launched on Tuesday calling for an end to unprecedented antisemitism on campus.
Addressed to vice-chancellors, students’ unions, and university leadership across the UK and Ireland, the campaign has been organised by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), which represents around 9,000 students and more than 70 Jewish Societies (JSocs).
It reads: “We write to you as current and former Jewish students who have endured and witnessed an unprecedented surge in antisemitism on our campuses over the past eight months.
“October 7th will forever haunt the collective memory of the Jewish people. For some of us, this marked the point at which we learnt of the murder of our loved ones by Hamas. For others, this marked the point at which our loved ones were kidnapped and taken hostage. Yet, for all of us, this marked the point at which an unimaginable escalation in campus antisemitism began. On October 7th, antisemitism once again became a permissible form of hatred.”
It adds that after eight months of hate, “we tell you that we’ve simply had enough. We’ve had enough of being society’s punching bag, absorbing its anger and hatred. We’ve had enough of constantly feeling on edge as we walk through our campuses. And we’ve had enough of our university leaders equivocating, unable to condemn the pervasive bigotry in the institutions that they govern.
“The future of Jewish life on campus is up to you. It is imperative that you understand, you condemn, and you act against antisemitism. Now.
“We, Jewish students past and present, from the left and the right, religious and secular, from all points on the religious spectrum, say with one united voice:
“We’ve had enough.”
Signatories include past and present students from universities including Cambridge, Warwick, Exeter, Leeds, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Nottingham and King’s College London.
The petition is supported by the Board of Deputies and University Jewish Chaplaincy.
To view and sign the petition, click here.
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