A Jewish Student who was the target of antisemitism over a two year period is to receive an unprecedented apology from his student union.
Zachary Confino, 21, a law student, was subjected to a barrage of antisemitic abuse, including being told that ‘Hitler was onto something’, after he attempted to fight a motion by York University student union (YUSU) to boycott Israeli goods.
According to the Sunday Times, he was told that the abuse was due to his support for Israel, and therefore his own fault.
Mr Confino also encountered hostility when protesting against a University of York Palestine Solidarity Society production of the play Seven Jewish Children, which has been described as antisemitic.
Mr Confino was confronted by some of the production’s organisers, including Tom Corbyn, the son of the current Labour leader.
After a two-year battle, which culminated in an intervention by Universities Minister Jo Johnson, YUSU announced that it will publish an online apology and offer Mr Confino a four-figure sum.
“It has taken me two years to fight a complaint and I am relieved that I have finally got this apology”, Mr Confino said.
“The experience has been so depressing… It ruined my experience at university. I can never get that time back."
A spokesman for Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis applauded the decision, saying that “This apology is most welcome, not only in the context of the case of Zachary Confino but also for the clear message that it send to other universities that there must be absolutely no place for antisemitism on our campuses.”
The Union of Jewish Students also welcomed the decision.
It said: “We have worked closely with Zachary and YUSU in recent months and we’re happy that the issues have been resolved.
"However, this doesn’t mask the fact that antisemitism is still an issue on UK campuses. What is most worrying is that Zachary’s concerns were not considered to be serious, and therefore dismissed by so many people. This is a problem experienced all too often by Jewish students and is one that needs eradicating. We will continue to support Jewish students in ensuring that antisemitism is properly reported and dealt with across the UK.
“We will be working with the University of York and York University Students’ Union (YUSU) to ensure that York continues to be a campus where Jewish students can feel safe to attend and one which their concerns about antisemitism will be taken seriously.”
In a statement, the University of York said remained committed “to preserving the right of freedom of expression while also combatting antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other form of race hate.”
