Anthony Julius chairs new group tackling campus antisemitism

One of the UK’s most senior lawyers is chairing a new organisation established to record and analyse the experiences of Jewish students, academics and other staff on university campuses.

Launched on Wednesday, Professor Anthony Julius, from the Faculty of Law at University College London, will head up the Intra-Communal Professorial Group (The ICPG) amid a huge increase in antisemitism since 7 October.

The ICPG will also make recommendations to UK universities and stakeholders about how to improve the experience of Jewish students and staff.

Julius is joined by deputy Chair, Professor Daniel Hochhauser and Kathleen Ferrier, Chair of Medical Oncology, University College London.

The growing organisation will be led by director Odeliya Lanir Zafir and currently comprises over 25 academics from numerous British universities including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, London School of Economics, King’s College London, SOAS University of London, University of Kent, University of Hull, and University of Reading.

The Group is set to expand upon the existing reporting, research, and publication efforts of Jewish community organizations, aiming to combat the spread and normalisation of antisemitic hostility in academia and on campuses.

Research is getting started and will scale up with the new academic year in September, with initial findings and recommendations expected by the end of the year.

Anthony Julius said: “We have formed the ICPG in response to the increasing levels of hostility and fear to which Jewish students and staff have been subjected in recent months at universities across the UK.  We are dedicated to researching and understanding the presence and impact of antisemitism on university campuses.

“Our goal is to devise actionable, effective strategies to enable a safe and secure environment for all students and staff.   We will work with university leaders to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism on campus.”

The ICPG has formed several working groups which are focused on research and data collection, creating standards and recommendations, advising on free speech issues, and documenting challenges faced by Jewish students and academics.

Dr Dave Rich, director of policy at Community Security Trust (CST), the charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats, said: “We have seen a dramatic and concerning increase in reported incidents of antisemitism at UK universities since 7 October.

“CST is working hard to keep our whole community safe during this extremely difficult time and we see the ICPG as an important and welcome initiative for understanding and tackling university-related antisemitism, to help ensure that this hatred is no longer tolerated. We look forward to working with the ICPG team to make sure that our universities are a safe place for Jewish students and staff.”

Arieh Miller, chief executive of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said: “Since October 7th, we have seen the biggest antisemitism crisis on campus in a generation. It has not only impacted Jewish students, but Jewish faculty, and administrators too. We are looking forward to partnering with the ICPG to ensure the experience of all Jewish people on campus is continually recorded and presented to university senior management to ensure all Jewish voices on campus are heard.”

The initiative has also been welcomed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC).