An Oxford college has said it will not ban kosher food, despite students voting to ban meat from animals that are not stunned.
Somerville College's Junior Common Room, which represents undergraduates, voted to only provide kosher and Halal food "upon the condition that any meat purchased is pre-stunned".
However this cannot be applied to kosher meat, as Jewish law forbids all forms of mechanical stunning.
The JCR said not stunning animals raised “animal welfare concerns”.
Its motion demanded the college provide "lactose-free, gluten-free, kosher and halal food in hall upon the condition that any meat purchased is pre-stunned” and “demand that college provide food, such that they do not make assumptions about what students will or won’t eat based on their on social and cultural background”.
Somerville College said it would not ban kosher meat and ensured Jewish students that they would be able to have kosher meat.
Nicole Jacobus, Oxford University’s Jewish Society president criticised the JCR’s motion and said its attempt to make the college more inclusive had failed.
Speaking to the student paper Cherwell, she said: “The vote to ban kosher food only makes the diversity issue worse, as it shows that Jewish students are not only poorly provided for, but that they cannot actively practise as Jews at Somerville.”
The JCR’s vote was not binding and serves as an advisory indicator of what students want, officials said.
In a statement, the college said: “We want all our students to feel comfortable and well looked-after, including at meal-times.
“We are looking into expanding our provision of halal and kosher meat, and also providing more lactose-free, gluten-free and meat-free options, following a request by the JCR, which represents undergraduates.”
The move comes after Somerville College Principal Baroness Jan Royall called for octopus to be removed from its menu in a bid to make disadvantaged students feel more "comfortable".
The Labour peer said she made the decision after a complaint by a student and wanted to “change the culture” of the college to make sure it is “welcoming for all”.
