On Friday, I woke up to a delightful Instagram post from a group of students at City St George’s University in London who call themselves “City Action 4 Palestine” (CA4P). This is the same bunch who launched a targeted harassment campaign against Professor Michael Ben-Gad, even storming his lectures to subject him to violent abuse. Recently, they turned their attention to the Union of Jewish Students and the Jewish Chronicle – or, to employ their parlance, the Union of Genocidal Students and the Genocidal Chronicle – following our panel event with Professor Ben-Gad.
Tucked into the comment section of the post was an assertion that City St George’s University is run by “white supremacists” and “Jewish supremacy”. “Why do Jewish voices matter more than ours?” they query. Behold, City Action 4 Palestine – a pseudo-organisation that shares eulogies to Hamas mastermind Yahya Sinwar without consequence, and have shared a video with the chant “put the Zios in the ground” – lamenting the supposed strength of Jewish voices. They seek to silence us with false accusations of our swollen influence. Haven’t we heard this song before?
The paradox in all of this is that Jewish staff and students are more defiant and resilient than ever. In seeking to rid their campus of “Zionists”, “terrorists” and the “Israeli Occupation Force”, “CA4P” strengthened Professor Ben-Gad’s resolve. He proudly taught every single one of his lectures and seminars last semester, amid horrendous harassment and death threats. In supporting disgraced academic David Miller’s call to close down the “ineradicably racist” UJS down, “CA4P” have certainly fuelled our fire to be outwardly and proudly Jewish on campus.
So here’s how “CA4P” are spending their week, and how we are spending ours. They are sitting behind their anonymous screens, bombarding their Instagram stories with rants about Jewish supremacists. They muse on the glories of various armed resistance groups and the necessity of violent struggle.
Perhaps they are planning their latest smear campaign against the President of City St George’s University, Sir Anthony Finkelstein, who they deem a criminal Zionist too. That said, the last time they splashed the word “CRIMINAL” across a poster of his face, they accidentally used his brother, Lord Daniel’s, face instead. Minor details, I suppose. Sir Anthony, too, has responded forcefully and defiantly.
Meanwhile, we’ve launched Jewish Experience Week – a nationwide campaign inviting our non-Jewish peers into our Jewish spaces. There are more than 40 events around the country: Jewish food stalls, challah bakes, mock batmitzvahs, klezmer bands and interfaith Friday nights. We’ve written an open letter to our non-Jewish peers, telling them our story and inviting them to share in our traditions and our history. We’re showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of our Jewishness, building welcoming spaces that most students on campus are excited about joining.
We refuse to let hostility cow us into insularity. We’re taking control of the narrative, ensuring the Jewish student story is written not by groups like “CA4P”, but by proud Jewish students.
We are more than a political football. We are a proud union representing more than 10,000 students, with a thriving calendar of events and the highest engagement in our history. This vocal but very small bunch of professor harassers can yell into the void about “Jewish supremacy” all they like. But we won’t let them define our Jewish experience. And we won’t let them dampen our Jewish pride.
Louis Danker is president of the Union of Jewish Students
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