Cambridge under
Voting is under way in the UJS presidential election. Here, the three candidates set out their policies
TWO STUDENTS who were the victims of an alleged antisemitic incident are attempting to take their case to Cambridge University authorities, after claiming a college gave the perpetrators minimal punishment.
Shlomo Roiter-Jesner and two friends were returning from a Friday-night meal at Chabad when they were allegedly physically and verbally abused at a bar by a gang of male students from Christ’s College.
One of the victims, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they were looking for friends when they were attacked.
“Some very large males essentially threatened us, and said ‘what the f*** are you doing here?’ and ‘you don’t belong here’,” said the student.
After noticing the men were wearing kippot, the gang “started using antisemitic slurs and started to push us out of the building. That was when it started getting violent”.
Mr Roiter-Jesner, a politics student, said he was also pushed by the attackers, who were “saying ‘dirty Jews, you don’t belong here’, ‘Jews get out of here’, along with stuff like ‘we’ll bash your faces in’ and ‘get the f*** out of here’”.
He complained to the bar following the incident on October 28 and was told the venue had been hired by two Christ’s College sporting societies.
When Mr Roiter-Jesner then wrote to Jane Stapleton, Christ’s College master, she replied saying she condemned antisemitism and would investigate.
After waiting for a further response, the 25-year-old was told two students had been identified and disciplinary action taken.
But Mr Roiter-Jesner and his two friends were not asked to give evidence during the Christ’s College investigation, leading them to describe the probe as “a cover up”.
His friend said: “They refused to accept the fact this incident was antisemitic in nature.”
The unnamed victim claimed college sources had told the Jewish group the attackers’ punishment had been “a slap on the wrist, what you would expect for a little bit of drunken pushing”.
The students now plan to take their case to higher authorities at Cambridge.
Mr Roiter-Jesner said: “We would like a senior member of the university to review the punishment meted out and make sure it is appropriate and in line with our accusation.”
He said that, while the victims understood the college had been unable to corroborate their accusation of antisemitism, the students felt their claims of Jew-hate had been Jane Stapleton “undermined”, warranting a “public apology”. In a statement issued by Prof Stapleton to college alumni last weekend when the Jewish students’ allegations came to light, she wrote: “The college understood that the complainants had provided us with their complete account of the incident and did not request at any stage to be interviewed further.” Prof Stapleton added: “Two Christ’s students admitted using foul language and participating in a scuffle but they denied initiating the physical hostility and denied using any antisemitic or racist language. In relation to the former they were disciplined.” In another letter to students and staff sent on Sunday, Prof Stapleton condemned antisemitism and said “uncompromising disciplinary action would be taken if any substantiated evidence comes to light that a member of Christ’s engaged in such conduct”.
She said there was “no corroborating evidence” of antisemitism during the incident.
Mr Roiter-Jesner and his companion have reported the incident to the police.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman confirmed officers had been contacted on Tuesday with details of a “racially-motivated” incident. She asked for anyone with information to get in touch with police.
A Cambridge University spokesperson said it would be inappropriate for the university to comment while officers are investigating.
What are your priorities as a candidate?
JOSH HOLT I have benefited enormously from the amazing opportunities UJS has to offer and I would like to see more Jewish students engage and benefit in the way I have.
As a candidate, my priorities are engaging students who feel as if they do not have a place in our union. It is great that UJS events have both traditional and progressive services, and that the catering is kosher. However, this is not enough to engage Orthodox and Progressive students to their full potential. I want to build a union that is as welcoming as possible to all types of Jewish student, without neglecting those we have already engaged.
ADAM SCHAPIRA I am standing on a platform to create a UJS that is more ambitious, dynamic and engaged with the crucial issues we face today. My campaign rests on four key issues:
1. We need strong leadership to counter the whirlwind of hate faced on so many university campuses. I will end the sustained delegitimisation campaign on so many university campuses against the sole Jewish and democratic state.
2. Jewish students must engage with the global issues of our time. As president,Iwillcommittoraising£100,000to support the humanitarian relief efforts surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis.
3. I will mandate UJS to run a bespoke Women in Jewish leadership programme. It is time we end the systematic gender inequality that exists within our community.
4. I will empower Jewish societies, by providing a significant upfront annual grant, giving Jsocs more autonomy, leading to better events and freeing UJS sabbatical officers and JSoc committeemembersfromendlessbureaucracy.
ERAN COHEN I’m standing because alternative and left-wing Jewish students are constantly excluded from their JSocs and the UJS, and attempts to fix that from the UJS officers over the years have come to nothing. I am not standing for myself alone, but for all the Jewish students who have been made to feel like they have no place in the community.
What’s the most important issue facing UJS and how would you deal with it?
JOSH HOLT As far as I see it, not enough Jewish students feel UJS can do something for them. I want to change this by increasing the variety of services UJS can offer, using peer-led networks to provide specialised opportunities to Jewish students.
ADAM SCHAPIRA The wave of unjustified anti-Israel rhetoric and the attempt to consistently shut down free speech on Israel is certainly the main concern for many Jewish students. To succeed in reversing this concerning trend, we need strong leadership and a president that can utilise the networks available to make our case in the national media: whether on radio, TV, or in mainstream newspapers, we need a president that can effectively communicate and articulate our message.
And our message is one of peace, dialogue and discussion. A message that says that, despite the many differing views within the Jewish community, we can stand united with an unwavering commitment to two states for two peoples, a condemnation of all terrorism, and the hope that Palestinians and Israelis can one day live side-by-side in peace and equal dignity.
As president, I will take a hard line against the voices of hate but never waver in my commitment to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
ERAN COHEN As students, we face a lot of the same issues as the wider student movement — the threat of the cap on university fees being lifted altogether, Brexit and its implications for those of us who are not British, as well as the wider social implications.
As Jewish students, we face the worrying rise of racism and xenophobia that have been empowered by Brexit, Donald Trump and various alt-right commentators.
What’s your view on UJS’s relationship with the National Union of Students and its president Malia Bouattia, who has been criticised over antisemitic comments?
JOSH HOLT To my mind, it is abundantly clear that Malia has no interest in addressing the concerns of Jewish students, or in representing those she does not agree with politically, and in this respect I do not see how UJS can work with her.
However, there is more to NUS than just Malia, and I believe UJS should continue working with allies in the movement to improve the Jewish experience on campus wherever possible.
ADAM SCHAPIRA I would immediately call a referendum evaluating our future relationship with NUS.
Should students wish to remain loosely affiliated, I would demand an apology from Malia Bouattia and apply significant pressure on the NUS as a whole to take the concerns of Jewish students seriously. This includes tackling the BDS movement, the rise of antisemitism and unjustified anti-Israel hate on campus.
I stand by a previous statement I made in the JC, where I labelled Malia as unfit to serve as NUS president.
ERAN COHEN If we were to start disaffiliating every time a leader we don’t like (or a leader who doesn’t like us) gets power then I’d argue there’s a strong case for UJS disaffiliation from Israel on the basis of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s explicitly racist regime.
After the violent scenes at King’s College and UCL involving anti-Israel protesters, what needs to happen to ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus?
JOSH HOLT Jewish students should not be fearful about hosting speakers who have been approved by their student union. This would not be deemed acceptable for any other group and so neither should it be for us.
Campus security and student unions need to fully appreciate the potential for violence and disruption that events featuring pro-Israel speakers face, putting in place the necessary measures such as ensuring there are sufficient security personnel and finding appropriate rooms before the event.
University is a place for open debate and discussion, and it is a gross injustice to deny Jewish students this experience on account of security or spatial mismanagement.
ADAM SCHAPIRA I was at the event at UCL (when police were called after anti-Israel protesters disrupted a talk by a former IDF officer). I have never seen anything as horrific or disturbing as I witnessed then. When Jewish students in 21st-century Britain are escorted by police out of a university lecture room to the chants of “shame, shame, shame”, we know we have a serious problem with antisemitic anti-Zionism.
Such acts must never be tolerated. Jewish students cannot and must not feel intimidated.
We must work directly with the heads of the universities, the minister for higher education, government leaders, the wider Jewish community and all stakeholders involved to ensure this never happens again.
1. I will commission a much wider enquiry into the nature of these protests on campus.
2. I will make sure security is significantly expanded.
3. I will ensure that those students implicated in intimidating Jewish students are rightfully disciplined.
4. Where acts of violence occur, criminal proceedings must follow.
The safety of Jewish students on campus is my number one priority.
ERAN COHEN We need to train students in self-defence and organise them into independent anti-fascist cadres able to work together and alone to effectively combat racism and xenophobia on campuses. I’m serious.