The University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC) has been praised for taking “swift action” to remove a rabbinic couple at Leeds after offensive posts emerged on their social media.
Student groups uncovered anti-Palestinian posts shared by West Yorkshire’s new rebbetzin chaplain on social media. The groups shared their findings last weekend, and hours later UJC determined the veracity of the claims and removed the couple from their post.
Leeds University welcomed UJC’s “swift action.”
In a statement, the university said: “UJC has confirmed to us that this matter has been dealt with and that it no longer employs the chaplains for the Leeds and Yorkshire region.
"We welcome the swift action taken by UJC. We remain committed to providing support to all students and staff during this incredibly difficult time and condemn views or actions which deliberately seek to exclude or make Muslim, Jewish or any other people unwelcome on campus.”
Chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, Claudia Mendoza, added: “We fully commend University Jewish Chaplaincy’s swift action taken on the discovery of inappropriate social media posts from one of their Chaplains. That the matter was resolved within 24 hours is a reflection of how seriously they take these matters.”
Rabbi Ariel Pariente and his wife, Sonia, recently relocated from Jerusalem with their three children to take up the position, covering universities in York, Bradford, Hull, Huddersfield, Sheffield, and Leeds.
They replaced the previous chaplains who were forced to flee campus at police advice when they received a barrage of serious death threats.
Several groups, including Leeds University Palestine Solidarity Group, the Yorkshire Palestine Collective and Sheffield Palestine Society, uncovered posts on Sonia Pariente’s Facebook profile which they claimed were Islamophobic. They said the rabbitzen’s social media posts “reinforced dangerous racist stereotypes” and “justified genocide” and demanded the couple be removed from the university.
One of the posts reshared by Sonia Pariente last November said: “The life of an Israeli has a higher value than the life of a pali”. In another post last October, she appeared to state that nobody would want to adopt a Palestinian child.
The JC understands that UJC vets the social media of employees, but these posts slipped through.
The student groups said they had evidence of dozens more “vitriolic posts” and demanded the immediate removal of the couple from Leeds. They said it was part of their “ongoing fight against the University's complicity in the Zionist assault on the colonised people of Palestine and the people of Lebanon, Yemen and Syria.”
Chaplains are typically treated as honorary university staff members, with a university email address and library, internet and printer access, but the terms of their employment remain with UJC.
Leeds University forwarded complaints about the couple to UJC, who saw the emails after Shabbat on Saturday. By Sunday evening, the organisation had terminated the couple’s contract.
The move by UJC has left West Yorkshire without a chaplaincy couple just months after the last Leeds rabbi was forced into hiding.
Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch, his wife, Nava, and their children fled Leeds following death threats over his role as a reservist in the Israel Defense Force. West Yorkshire police arrested three people in relation to the hate directed towards the family. Rabbi Zecharia has since left the country with his family and said he felt abandoned by the university at the time.
Interim arrangements are being put in place by UJC to ensure that students have representation as soon as possible. The JC understands that the chaplaincy will be supporting meals for students over the High Holy Holidays.
Leeds Hillel House, run by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), and targeted last year by anti-Israel activists, remains open as usual.
UJC did not expand on the statement released by Leeds University.
The Parientes declined to comment.
