Student union sabbatical officers have taken part in a conference designed to help them better understand Jewish students’ needs.

Organised by the Union of Jewish Students, the conference sessions included discussions about combating hate speech and antisemitism and the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on British campuses.

Around 25 elected sabbatical officials joined the conference from institutions across the country. They had the opportunity to ask questions about how events on their campuses affect Jewish students.

Judith Flacks, UJS’ campaigns director, said: “I felt it was useful to explain why these issues are so difficult for Jewish students and how important it is that we work together to ensure that campus is a safe space.

“We spoke about some of the comments that hate speakers on campus had made and then discussed why they were problematic for Jewish students.

“The debate, and conversation that arose from that, led to a greater understanding of both Jewish student identity and the impact of hate speech.”