One in five students would be reluctant or never to share a house with a Jewish student, according to a survey by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) which says antisemitism has become “normalised” on UK campuses.
A UJS survey of 1,000 students “of all religions and none” found that almost a quarter (23%) have seen behavior directed at Jewish students because of their religion or ethnicity and almost half (47%) have witnessed Hamas justifying the October 7 attacks.
Half (49%) of students surveyed said they had heard slogans or chants glorifying Hamas, Hezbollah or other outlawed groups, and 65% had seen their learning disrupted by protests.
The report, called It’s Time for Change, says Jewish students also face increased social ostracism. “In one case, a floor of non-Jewish students shared on social media that they had ‘only one rule: no Zios on the floor,'” it said.
One in four (26%) who participated in the survey said they know, or have personally experienced, friendships with Jewish students becoming more distant or strained. Meanwhile, testimonies from some of the UK’s 10,000 Jewish students described being chased home, threatened, verbally abused and physically attacked.
The report also noted an “apathy” towards anti-Semitism. One in four (25%) of respondents said they didn’t care much – or at all – whether students could be open about their Jewish identity on campus. Of those who witnessed antisemitism, 20% questioned it directly, 22% reported it to the student union, and 23% reported it to the university.
“Jewish students face direct threats, verbal and physical abuse, and isolation from their peers for their perceived views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the UJS report says. “Ignorance about the Jewish people is ingrained in university culture and very little is being done in response.”
Karen Newman, vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the report made sickening reading. “Jewish students should not have to worry that a fifth of their classmates will not live with them because they are Jewish, or that expressed support for banned terrorist groups will prevail.”
A spokesperson for Universities UK (UUK), the collective voice of 142 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “We work hard with our university leaders and with UJS, the Community Security Trust and the Jewish Chaplaincy service to tackle antisemitism and support university leaders to take action to prevent it and respond appropriately when it occurs.”
In a foreword to the report, Labor MP and former MP Luciana Berger said the experiences of Jewish students today echo their own 20 years ago, prompting her to resign from the national executive committee of the National Union of Students.
“Jewish students continue to be attacked at the hands of the same people, year after year. How will Jewish students on British campuses feel when my own children, now just six and eight, reach university age?”
Author and journalist Daniel Finkelstein said: “Harassing people based on their ethnicity, history or political opinions is completely unacceptable, and a university administration that ignores such harassment is failing in its duties.”
Earlier this month, the government announced greater support for universities to combat extremism and bullying, including plans for a university cohesion charter to strengthen respect and shared values across university life.
The Office for Students, the regulator of higher education in England, said it will take action where universities fail to protect students from harassment or bullying, with powers to sanction or deregister institutions that fail to comply with their registration conditions.
The UJS survey was conducted by JL Partners, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK university students from 170 higher education institutions, weighted to reflect the demographic profile of the student population.
