Jewish students are on the metaphorical frontline in the war against antisemitism. Most Jewish students I know are feeling unbelievably uncomfortable as a result of the current Israel/Palestine discourse. As the clashes between Israel and Gaza intensify, antisemitic incidences have sky rocketed.
According to CST, since May 8, there has been a 250 percent increase in the number of antisemitic incidents in the UK. Given this, it is no wonder Jewish students feel intimidated, isolated and scared to speak up. For young Jewish students social media has become a hostile space. Racist Instagram infographics have gone viral and are being shared all over my feed by friends, coursemates, Youtubers, and celebrities.
When your friends like racist, anti-Israel posts it is more than just unpleasant, it is scary. One post that has racked up 700 000 likes, claims that “Zionists want Palestine'' because of “oil” and that “the Rothschilds [and] Rupert Murdoch have invested in the rich resource” which is “why what you see on the media is so biased”. Posts like these are no longer on the fringes of the internet but have been liked and shared by people that I know and see every day.
This is not only deeply uncomfortable but incredibly upsetting. Antisemitic social media posts are inescapable. It is frustrating that people have been sharing this racist nonsense without fact-checking a single thing because it’s packaged in a pretty font. Jewish students are being made to feel responsible for educating and fact-checking their peers.
