Union exec publish supportive open letter to Jewish students about anti-Semitism

The Leeds Uni Union executive have published an open letter affirming their support for Jewish students and their commitment to “tackling anti-semitism, both in Leeds and wherever it manifests itself”.

The letter, signed by all members of the executive,  highlights the recent Home Affairs inquiry into anti-Semitism which focused on the conduct of the NUS and the Labour Party in relation to accusations of anti-Semitism made against some members of these two organisations earlier this year.

Members of Union exec

The election of Malia Bouattia as President of the NUS in July 2016 stirred controversy after an article she co-authored resurfaced online in which she describes Birmingham University as “something of a Zionist outpost”. Since then, relations between some Jewish student leaders and the NUS leadership have been strained.

On September 28th,  28 student union presidents and vice-presidents joined ten members of the NUS’ National Executive Committee, three NUS vice-presidents as well as NUS’ representatives in Scotland and Wales, in a fiery open letter to Malia, criticising her for failing to ensure the safety and participation of Jewish students through her actions and rhetoric.

The letter by Leeds Union says its “foremost priority is to make sure the University of Leeds and LUU is a safe space for all students and this will not be changed or influenced either by personal stances or external pressure.”

“We believe it is imperative that Jewish students are able to define what anti-semitism is themselves – and that their experiences are acknowledged and validated. We welcome any students who want to talk to us about their experiences and who may have ideas about how we can be more inclusive for Jewish students”, it continues.

The authors also announced their intention to launch a campaign against hate crimes, and called for the involvement of the Leeds Jsoc (Jewish Society) in educating people to intervene in they witness hate crimes, and making it clear that LUU has a zero tolerance approach to all forms of hate speech and anti-Semitism. We are also organising a campaign around hate crimes which we would love for JSoc to be involved in.

President of Leeds Jsoc, Dana Winter told The Tab, “On behalf of Leeds Jsoc, I am so thankful that the exec recognises and supports the right of Jewish people to self-define what is anti-Semitism is, as it is so important to us. Over the past year, anti-Semitism has been on the rise and is being legitimised in the guise of anti-Zionism.

“We hope other Student Unions will follow the example set by LUU and affirm their support of Jewish students.”