This week, we at the Union of Jewish Students, launched a landmark report on campus antisemitism, Time for Change.
The report brings together national polling of 1,000 students (of all faiths and none) across the UK alongside dozens of testimonies from Jewish students themselves. Together, they provide one of the clearest pictures to date of the environment Jewish students are navigating.
The findings are stark.
Nearly one in four students report witnessing behaviour targeting Jewish students because of their religion or ethnicity. Almost half say they have heard slogans supporting Hamas, Hezbollah or other proscribed terrorist organisations on campus. And 65 per cent say protests have disrupted their education.
These statistics reflect something deeper than isolated incidents. They point to a culture in which antisemitism is becoming more visible, more tolerated and, at times, more difficult to challenge socially.
The report documents disturbing case studies: Jewish students chased home while wearing kippot, lectures interrupted by masked protestors shouting through megaphones, and chants glorifying the October 7 attacks heard outside exam halls.
Jewish students are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for something far simpler: to be able to get their education in peace.
But Time for Change was not written simply to highlight problems. Its title was chosen deliberately. This is a solutions-focused report designed to ensure Jewish student life thrives, not deteriorates.
The report sets out six clear recommendations for government, universities, regulators and students’ unions. These recommendations are practical, proportionate and rooted in a simple principle: universities must ensure that Jewish students can participate fully and safely in campus life. Yet alongside the challenges documented in the report, there is another reality that deserves attention.
Jewish student life in the UK and Ireland remains vibrant, proud and resilient. Across more than 80 campuses, Jewish societies are hosting Shabbat dinners, running educational events, organising social programmes and building communities that bring together thousands of Jewish students every week.
Just this week alone, hundreds of students gathered to celebrate Jewish life at JSoc balls in Nottingham, Leeds and Bristol. These events are not just parties. They are moments of unbridled Jewish joy and pride, where students celebrate their identity openly and confidently.
These moments matter. They remind us that Jewish student life is not defined solely by the hostility described in this report. It is defined by community, pride and resilience.
The message of this report is therefore not one of despair. It is one of responsibility.
Jewish students will continue to live proudly and visibly on campus. The question now is whether institutions will match their courage with action.
For Jewish students reading this, my message is simple: do not cower away. Be proud, visible and Jewish. Because Jewish student life in the UK and Ireland is not disappearing. It is flourishing. And with the right action from institutions, it will only grow stronger.
Harry Isaacs is Union of Jewish Students’ campaigns sabbatical officer
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