‘They told me October 7 was justified’: Jewish students reveal scale of antisemitism at universities

“It began very shortly after October 7. The most notable incident was the ‘Free Palestine’ graffiti that appeared on the Hillel campus building. A friend of mine had a swastika projected on his car.

“The Jewish chaplain returning from IDF service was forced into hiding due to death threats made toward him and his family. I was told countless times that October 7 was justified.

“When a group of us set up a stall outside the uni with Israeli flags promoting Jewish identity, a pair of girls approached the stall and yanked the flag, scattering our equipment across the floor.

“More recently the words ‘Israel harvests Palestinian organs’ were written in chalk across the ground on campus, an obvious lie and libel against the world's only Jewish state. There are continuous calls for intifada revolution on campus.”
Anonymous, University of Leeds

“There are no safe spaces on campus. Even the cafés are occupied. One of the galleries was donated by a Jewish donor and they covered his name up.

“My supervisors have posted antisemitic tweets and when I mentioned that I felt unsafe, my supervisor brushed it off and told me to read the work of a US academic known for their strong anti-Israel views.

“There is no breathing room or escape. Only one narrative is acceptable.”
​​​​​​Anonymous, Goldsmiths, University of London

"It’s been very difficult. A member of staff said during a webinar that Israeli women weren’t raped on October 7 because they were inherently the oppressor so could not be a victim. I was also denied the right to write in our campus paper about October 7, despite pro-Palestinian pieces being on the front page every week.

“Me and other students were surrounded and harassed by hundreds of people at our stall on campus. They claimed we were responsible for their families dying and that we weren’t real Jews. The university took no action.”
Anonymous, University of Exeter

“My great-uncles were tied to train tracks in Egypt before being expelled. Israel was their only sanctuary. My great-grandmother was born in Jerusalem. Yet there’s no room for narratives like these in Oxford. Rather, the myopic focus is on Israel as a uniquely European project.

“Even soon after October 7, I heard people say, ‘We only let them [Jews/Israelis] get away with it because of what happened during the war, meaning the Holocaust.’

“The mentality of the encampment is to sideline opposing views as mere political disagreements. For them, the allegation of genocide is enough for it to be real. For me, my lived experience of antisemitism is erased.”
Harry, University of Oxford

“I’m in my first year at Oxford. I feel I have never been able to experience what normal life is like here.

“An alarming percentage of the student population is manipulated into posting antisemitic propaganda on their Instagram stories, making any social event in person distressing for any Jewish student attending. We don’t know who to trust, who we’re safe with – this even happens with boy/girlfriends. We can, as a result, no longer be publicly Jewish/ Zionist/ Israeli and safe.

“The university simply shrugs off any claims we make of antisemitism as ‘free speech,’ and we are left to make the argument for our existence and safety against an angry mob of students brainwashed online.”
Anonymous, University of Oxford

“Post-October 7, our teacher divided us into groups for a project and one of the girls in my group decided to switch groups with no explanation.

“I later found out that she had told people she didn’t want to work with an Israeli. This continued for the rest of the year.

“She refused to work with me, sit next to me, she would even refuse to speak to me.”
Shira, University of the Arts London

“I’m the president of the University of Westminster JSoc and was informed about a lecturer posting antisemitic stuff on her Instagram account and asked by members if I could check that out.

“After the second time I did this, the lecturer, whom I had never seen nor spoken to, posted a screenshot of my profile and one of JSoc profiles stating: ‘Attention academics and students, the president of JSoc at Westminster has been watching my [Instagram] stories and could be watching yours, too.’”
Joshua, University of Westminster

"I study journalism so, naturally, discussion about the war is unavoidable.

“We had a panel of refugee journalists come in to speak about their experiences. One of them was somebody who shared antisemitic posts on her Facebook and LinkedIn, including posts that appeared to show support for October 7. I didn’t feel comfortable with her appearing on the panel so I reported this through my JSoc.

“The verdict from the formal investigation was that the university didn’t believe it was an issue, and the panel went ahead.

“My university’s actions made me feel like my discomfort and concerns were not important.”
Anonymous

“Jewish students have been harassed on campus since October 7. Some have had to put away their Stars of David after being accused of wearing political symbols around their necks.

“The encampments have been pressuring Jewish students to say whether or not they’re Zionists.”
Edgar, University of Bristol

“In the first week of my master's programme, I befriended a course-mate who initially supported me after October 7. However, she soon adopted a strong pro-Palestinian stance.

“Despite my attempts to avoid the topic and express empathy, she sat me down for two hours trying to force me to condemn Israel's existence.

“For days she bombarded me with videos of “proper Jews” — men from Neturei Karta. After I realised that she was going to keep on sending me videos every day until I said what she wanted me to say, I asked her to stop and said that we should try and focus on our degree instead. She replied: "I wish Palestinians could focus on their lives."
Anonymous, UCL