The Students' Guide to Antisemitism
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, hostility or racism against Jews.
Antisemitism has been called ‘the Longest Hatred’. Its persistence is not doubted, yet precise definitions of antisemitism can cause heated debate.
It can come in many shapes and forms: street racism, state-backed terrorism, lunatic conspiracy theories, sly remarks, Holocaust denial and inversion, or in supposedly intellectual and academic works.
Some people say antisemitism is an ideology in its own right. Some say it just pollutes other ideologies whilst others compare it to an illness, or virus. However you choose to describe it, you can find types of antisemitism in all sorts of different ideological places, including the far right, the far left, and Islamism.
FAR RIGHT antisemitism can take Nazi or nationalist forms, in which Jews are deemed to be primary enemies of the race and/or of the nation, therefore deserving to be killed, expelled or discriminated against.
FAR LEFT antisemitism can associate Jews with capitalism or globalism, and may allege that Jews are only ever loyal to other Jews – therefore Jews are a class enemy of the people, or of the revolution.
ISLAMIST antisemitism derives from interpretations of history, religion and modern politics in which Jews are cast as enemies of Islam. These relate to the status of Jews under early Islamic rule; the influence of European antisemitism on majority Muslim societies during colonial rule; and the role of Islamist movements like Hamas in radicalising the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
To be clear, Islamism is not meant here as some kind of code word for Muslims. It means those ideological groups who demand that Islam guide all public life. At its most extreme, groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda are murderously antisemitic.
In Britain today, the far left and most Islamists claim to oppose antisemitism (the far right sometimes claim this also). Nevertheless, their opposition to antisemitism can be, at best, partial. For example, they may strongly support groups like Hamas and Hizbollah that are utterly antisemitic in their hostility against Jews and Judaism.
Defining antisemitism
In 2016 the 57 member countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) adopted a working definition of antisemitism, known as the ‘IHRA Definition’, to aid its work in combating antisemitism. It reads:
‘Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.’
Read the full IHRA definition.
The IHRA definition has since been adopted by the UK Government; the Labour Party; the Crown Prosecution Service; the Scottish and Welsh governments; over 100 Higher Education and Further Education institutions, and many students’ unions. The National Union of Students adopted it as policy at its National Conference in 2017.
The IHRA definition evolved from a previous working definition, drawn up by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in 2005, which is used by the UK College of Policing. It states that ‘criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic’, but points out that antisemitic language is sometimes directed at Israel. It then gives a list of behaviours that ‘could, taking into account the overall context’, indicate antisemitism. It is not legally binding but it can be helpful in identifying antisemitic speech or images, and is recognised by the Jewish community as the standard non-legal definition of antisemitism.
Additionally, NUS has passed a constitutional rule recognising the perception of the victim in defining antisemitism and other hate crimes, in line with current government and police definitions.
What is anti-Zionism?
‘Anti-Zionism’ describes a wide range of hostile attitudes towards Jewish self-determination, and particularly towards Jewish nationalism and Israel as a Jewish state. Zionism is a complex and contested term, because its definitions mean different things to different people. In particular, mainstream Jewish definitions of Zionism differ from far left, far right and Islamist definitions – all of which can use, and denigrate, Zionism as a term of political or antisemitic abuse. For example, the term ‘zio’ is always pejorative.
Antisemitism and anti-Zionism
Antisemitism, anti-Zionism and anti-Israel hatred are not the same as each other. They can, however, be hard to distinguish. Antisemitism can feed off criticism of Jews, Israel or Zionism, regardless of how fair or unfair, antisemitic or legitimate, that may be. Criticism of Zionism or Israel may not be antisemitic per se, but it risks becoming so when traditional antisemitic themes are employed or the word ‘Jewish’ is replaced with ‘Zionist’ in order to shield antisemitic sentiment. Boycotts of Israel can lead to hostile environments where antisemitism can thrive. Gauging antisemitic motives and impacts largely depends upon the interaction of the following factors:
Motivation
To what extent is the criticism, or outright hatred, driven by the Jewish nature of Israel and/or Zionism, or expressed by attacking Israel on the basis of its Jewishness?
Target
Are Jews being singled out as recipients for criticism, bias or hatred that ostensibly derives from anti-Israel or anti-Zionist enmity?
Repeat behaviour
Does the offender repeat their behaviour, knowing the consequences and concerns that will be raised?
Content
Does the criticism, or hatred, use antisemitic or otherwise racist exclusivities, themes and motifs, such as comparing Israel to Nazis?
Response to concerns
Are Jewish concerns sincerely and equally engaged with? Or, are Jewish concerns viewed with hostility and singled out for scorn?
Jewish life today
Jewish life in Britain is diverse and the Jewish community are well integrated into wider society. On campus this translates to Jewish students overwhelmingly having a positive and rewarding experience despite CST and UJS recording increased levels of antisemitism in recent years.
There is debate about the issue of modern day antisemitism. Some argue it is insignificant, whilst others believe that we live in dangerous times and the scale of antisemitism in Britain threatens the entire Jewish community.
Often, those who choose to deny or minimise the threat of antisemitism will compare it to other types of discrimination and argue that, in relative terms, the problem is not that severe. This is not a serious approach to racism. Any discrimination or bigotry is too much, and there is no league table of racism.
The argument also fails to take into account the unique characteristics of the discrimination faced by different minorities. We should be able to agree that where any form of antisemitism exists, it should be opposed just as any form of racism and discrimination would.
Tackling antisemitism on campus
What you can do
Educate
Discrimination thrives on suspicion and ignorance and can be combated by engaging with interfaith events, inviting Jewish speakers on to campus, commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day, attending CST educational events and even in informal conversations. A good place to start is UJS and your Jewish Society (J-Soc), who will be happy to provide ideas, resources and support.
Use no platform policies
NUS has a No Platform policy, which has been adopted by many students’ unions. This is a strong tool at the disposal of minority students to protect themselves on campus from violent and non-violent extremism. It exists to prevent individuals or groups known to hold extremist, racist and/or fascist views from speaking at union events.
Foster better relations
Some groups and individuals will campaign against Israel on campus, which has the potential to create a hostile atmosphere and overflow into antisemitism. To avoid positions on both sides becoming entrenched, try to foster good relations. This shouldn’t discourage healthy discussion, but it may help ensure that debates do not become tainted by antisemitism.
Understand codes of conduct
Many universities and students’ unions will have a code of conduct setting out expectations of student behaviour. If one exists, make sure it is used and implemented, in order to protect your rights on campus.
Employ speaker guidelines
Recognising that controversial speakers invited on to campus can intimidate students, NUS has produced guidelines on managing the complications associated with external speakers. Similarly, Universities UK has provided guidance to help higher education institutions manage this process and align their policies with students’ unions. These guidelines provide legal information and recommend processes for assessing and managing external speakers. As such, they are useful resources to remind students’ unions and universities of their duties in upholding all students’ rights. The guidelines can be viewed at nusconnect.org.uk and universitiesuk.ac.uk.
Campus antisemitism report
In 2022, CST produced a Campus Antisemitism Report highlighting the issues faced by Jewish students at university. It offers useful recommendations for campuses to establish appropriate procedures when supporting Jewish students and challenge antisemitism where it exists.
Who can help?
There are many people who can help you if you are experiencing a problem related to antisemitism. Who you approach will depend on the nature of the problem and who you feel most comfortable talking to.
Police
If you are a victim of or witness to antisemitic abuse, it is imperative that you tell the police:
• In an emergency, always dial 999.
• For non-emergency situations, dial 101 or go to police.uk to find out which police force covers your campus.
• Antisemitic hate crime can be reported online to police via the True Vision website.
UJS and JSocs
As the representative body of Jewish students in the UK and Ireland, the Union of Jewish Students is a good first port of call. They will be able to:
• Explain to you your rights and help direct your complaint to the relevant person or body.
• Support you in making representations to your campus security or campus liaison officer.
• Advise and support you on action to take with regard to your union and university.
• Put you in touch with like-minded students and direct you to suitable campaigning material.
CST
Community Security Trust (CST) is responsible for protecting the UK Jewish community, and monitors levels of antisemitism. If you are a victim of or witness to antisemitism, you should contact CST as well as the police. CST can:
• Report it to police on your behalf if you don’t feel comfortable doing so.
• Put you in touch with a CST Student Security Coordinator to advise you on the next steps and speak to your university or union security on your behalf.
• Provide you with practical security advice.
• Use your report to help build a picture of antisemitic activity on your campus and the wider area.
020 8457 9999 / 0161 792 6666 / [email protected]
Your university
Universities take all forms of hate crime seriously, and should be able to help you with a range of services by:
• Directing you to university police liaison officers, neighbourhood policing teams or campus security teams. They deal with any student crime issues, including antisemitism.
• Referring you to university or students’ union hate crime reporting centres. These can facilitate victims of hate crime in reporting incidents to police in complete confidence.
• Providing pastoral and emotional support through regular one-to-one meetings with your tutor.
Office of the independent adjudicator
This is an independent body that runs a student complaints scheme in England and Wales. Complaints they can look at include discrimination, bullying and harassment, as well as welfare issues. If you are unhappy with the outcome of a complaint, you can submit an appeal to your university by filling out the form on their website. If 90 days pass and you’ve not received an outcome, you may also submit an appeal of your complaint for the delay.
Your legal rights
Legal protection surrounding race hate, including antisemitism, on and off campus is covered by criminal and civil legislation, enshrined in several acts and laws including: the Race Relations Act; the Human Rights Act; the Education and Education Reform Acts; the Public Order Act; and discrimination and defamation law.
It is helpful to know what your legal rights are and to recognise situations where they have been compromised.
The law recognises that certain crimes are considered worse if the assailant is motivated by racial or religious prejudice.
The perpetrator should therefore receive a more severe punishment if it is established that the crime was racially or religiously aggravated. The types of offences included within this category are those against the person, such as common assault, harassment and public order offences.
Incident checklist
What to do if you are a victim of an antisemitic incident:
IN AN EMERGENCY, ALWAYS DIAL 999
Report the incident as soon as possible to:
1. The police
Dial 999 in an emergency. In a non-emergency contact the Police on 101 or visit the True Vision website www.report-it.org.uk. Remember to ask for a crime reference number.
2. CST
In an emergency call the National Emergency Number (24-hour) 0800 032 3263. In a non-emergency call CST on 020 8457 9999 (south) or 0161 792 6666 (north).
3. Your university
Report the incident via campus security, Student Services, the students’ union or UJS.
Graffiti or damage
• Collect evidence by taking photos and noting details of where the offending material is located
• Ask campus security to remove the offending material
Abuse on social media
• Report it to police, CST and your university
• Report it to the social media outlet
• Collect evidence by saving links and taking screenshots of the offensive post, tweet, comments, and of the offender’s profile
Hate mail
• Keep it and its envelope as evidence to give to the police and make copies of both
• Handle as little as possible
Assault
• Seek assistance and first aid from emergency services or campus security
• Once you are safe, approach witnesses and note their contact details
• Write down the exact events, location, timings and description of the offender
Antisemitic literature
• If it is being distributed, safely take a copy and note the description of the offender
• If it is found, take a copy and note location of discovery
• If appropriate take photos