“There’s a lot of work to do on education”: Imperial’s JSoc on campus antisemitism

Reports of antisemitic violence, alarming polling on public attitudes towards Jews, and government promises to curb these trends have made national headlines on a weekly basis since the start of the year.

In particular, some university campuses have come under scrutiny as perceived hotbeds of antisemitism. Vivienne Stern, the head of Universities UK, wrote last month that she had “no doubt… that antisemitism continues to rise at universities,” while polls conducted in recent years have consistently found higher rates of antisemitic sentiment among young people.

To learn more about the experiences of the Jewish community at Imperial, Felix spoke to two committee members of Imperial’s Jewish Society (JSoc), who requested anonymity and are referred to here by the pseudonyms James and Marc.

Both James and Marc believe antisemitism to be a growing issue both on and off campus. This concern is echoed by nationwide polls, which show that 47% of Jews last year saw antisemitism as a “very big” problem, up from 11% in 2012. 

“We have friends at other campuses, and we share stories,” James said, “and the feeling is very much that antisemitism has been growing a lot. And not only is it in people’s minds, it’s being translated into acts.”

James noted that the situation was “much better” at Imperial than in other London universities, mentioning acts of violence perpetrated on other campuses. Last November, for instance, UCL had to issue an apology for multiple “unacceptable” antisemitic incidents that had occurred since the beginning of the academic year. 

However, he cautioned that “even if Imperial is not that bad, people won’t feel safe” due to their awareness of incidents from other campuses.

“We have friends that, for example, used to wear a kippah – which is the head covering for Jewish men. A lot of them have stopped doing that just because it’s not safe anymore.”

He added that even students who chose not to wear religious signs can face pressure when their peers know they are Jewish.

James and Marc were reluctant to give details of antisemitic acts committed on campus, to ensure victims who preferred to remain anonymous can’t be identified. “In the overwhelming majority of cases that I know, people have not reported these acts,” Marc said.

They referred to general examples including antisemitic caricatures in student accommodation, verbal abuse on campus, and cyberbullying. Another flagrant example of online extremism was the “Imperial Agarthan Society”, a once-popular Instagram page that notably shared racist and Holocaust-denying posts and private messages. James distinguished acts that target specific students from those that are meant to intimidate the community, saying both were prevalent. “But most incidents are not reported because people are scared to do that,” he insisted.

Both members of JSoc spoke positively of the support offered by Imperial. “They’ve been great and we have an open line of communication with them; they’re very proactive in listening to us and our concerns,” Marc said. 

In particular, Marc said the College’s reporting systems are “quite efficient” and don’t result in excessive delays. Now, to increase the share of incidents that are reported, the committee is working to reassure members that the tools are anonymous and effective.

However, Marc said he had been “disappointed” by the lack of support from the Imperial student body and described a community that feels “isolated.”

“No one has come up to me and said, ‘How are you doing?’ There’s no allyship; we’re just by ourselves.”

I asked them if the threat of antisemitism has changed the way they operate as a society. 

“We haven’t at all changed our programming in terms of what we offer our members and the Jewish community on campus,” Marc said. “I would even say that it’s been a vector for increased engagement and more responsibility on our part because we feel like we really have to be there for students and create a safe and welcoming space.”

James recalled having “a lot of discussions” with Imperial’s security team concerning increased protection. Even though JSoc chose not to alter the way it operates, he argued that the very need to raise these questions was abnormal: “I don’t think that’s a discussion that a lot of societies are having.”

The British government has asked universities to publicise anonymised data on campus antisemitism and promised to increase policing in areas with a high share of Jewish residents. I asked James and Marc what more society as a whole could do to protect Jewish individuals, including students.

James opined that the problem should be tackled at its source: “We can think about protective measures, but my opinion is that there’s a lot of work to do on education.”

“I would really call on the student body to be supportive,” Marc added. “If you’re curious, come, ask questions. Although we’re a small community, we work to make people feel safe and create the sense that you can be Jewish at Imperial and have a wonderful experience.”