Jewish chaplain at Leeds University forced into hiding after receiving death threats

Leeds University

A Jewish chaplain at Leeds University has been forced into hiding after he was targeted with death threats and anti-Semitic protests, prompting an open letter from 500 former students for action.

Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch, his wife, Nava, and their two children were moved to a safe location on police advice after receiving death threats over his role as an Israel Defense Force (IDF) reservist.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners have accused Rabbi Deutsch of “genocide” after he returned to Israel after Hamas’s Oct 7 terror attacks to serve in the IDF.

The rabbi has received hundreds of malicious calls, including threats to kill him, rape his wife, and murder their children.

As a result, Jewish and non-Jewish former and current students with graduation dates ranging from 1967 to current students, have written an open letter to Prof Hai-Sui Yu, the university’s vice chancellor, warning about “the current state of anti-Semitism on campus”.

Universities should be a ‘safe haven’

The letter, signed by more than 500 alumni, says: “The university has a duty – both morally and legally – to report and prevent extremist behaviour, which no doubt includes defacing a Jewish community centre for students. We expect to see the university wholeheartedly condemning this behaviour – and acting decisively to curtail it.”

This letter also comes after the university’s Jewish Society hosted a Challah bake at its Jewish community centre, which was since defaced with graffiti reading “Free Palestine” and “IDF off campus”.

The more than 500 alumni added in their letter: “Universities have a responsibility to provide a safe haven for students of all backgrounds.

“As former students, the University of Leeds holds a special place in our heart: and so we were shocked and saddened to see that this week the University’s Hillel House was victim to anti-Semitic graffiti, and that there are ongoing protests against the Jewish chaplains on campus.”

They also demanded to know what measures the vice chancellor was taking to prevent anti-Semitism on campus, to protect and support Jewish people and safeguard their security, and how it was supporting the chaplains.

The incidents in Leeds come after the latest anti-Semitism row on a British campus, after students at the University of Birmingham chanted “death to Zionists” during a rally last week.

Following the incident, Jewish student groups issued a statement afterwards saying that safety on campus had been “broken”.

University ‘deeply shocked’

According to the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, in the 68 days inclusive between the Hamas terror attack on Israel and Wednesday Dec 13, it recorded at least 2,093 anti-Semitic incidents across the UK.

A University of Leeds spokesman said that they are “deeply shocked and saddened” by Rabbi Deutsch receiving threats to his safety and that of his family and that the Jewish community centre was attacked, adding: “We understand and share the sentiment that has been expressed within and beyond our community, that anti-Semitism is a hatred that has no place on campus.

“We totally condemn the anti-Semitic abuse and threats directed towards the chaplain and his family – such attacks on any individual are unacceptable and will not be tolerated from members of the public or our University community…

“The interim vice-chancellor and president is seeking meetings with universities in the region as well as our key partners across the city and local politicians, to identify what more we can do together to address issues being experienced by communities in the city and wider region.”

The spokesman added that they are supporting West Yorkshire Police in their investigations and the Union of Jewish Students as the property owners as they investigate this incident as a hate crime.

%n

Discover Telegraph Wine Cellar’s new wine club. Enjoy expertly chosen bottles at exclusive member prices. Plus, free delivery on every order.