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I Was Targeted and Abused on My Campus; I Fought Back and Took Action on the Ground
City, University Of London. Photo: Wiki Commons.
As a Jewish student who supports Israel, I expected that my time on campus would include civilized debates, but never the level of hostility that I encountered.
Today’s university climate is rife with antisemitism, and UK campuses specifically saw double the number of incidents in 2024. These real-life instances of antisemitism weren’t just abstract or isolated; they were widespread, personal, and damaging, leaving me, and many others like me, feeling alienated.
One of the first instances of antisemitism I encountered on campus came just a couple of days after October 7, 2023, when a group of students saw that I was visibly Jewish and thought it was acceptable to shout slurs at me such as: “free Palestine”, “f****ing Zionist”, and “dirty Jew.”
These comments are damaging, and nobody should be targeted solely for their appearance. Such rhetoric fuels antisemitism and puts Jewish communities at risk. Just days later, right outside the university, I was told I “look German, so [I] must understand that Israel is the same as Hitler.”
A couple of weeks later, I had a meeting with the university staff to discuss the harassment.
I expected support, but instead, I was told that without CCTV footage, the university couldn’t investigate further. They advised me to report it to the police instead.
The lack of action left me feeling shaken and unsupported. Soon after, a Jewish Society poster advertising the society was vandalized with stickers reading “free Palestine” and “Zionists not here.”
This time, there was CCTV evidence, but the university’s response was limited to a mere warning for the perpetrator, with no apology given. The double standard was clear: harassment towards Jewish students was not taken seriously.
Week after week, the individuals from the Socialist Worker Party would protest outside campus calling for the annihilation of Israel. This was seen as acceptable by the administration and student union, as they hid behind the facade of “free speech” and inaction, despite promises made to stand up for Jewish students (another clear example of Jewish students facing double standards).
Sadly, it didn’t stop there — but gradually got worse. From shouting false rhetoric such as Israel harms civilians and “Israel bombs ambulances,” to selling materials outright supporting Hamas and its actions, and calling it “a resistance movement against Zionism,” the hate continued to spread.
This support for a proscribed terror organization — and calling for the murder of Jews — was not shut down by the university, leaving me having to come to campus, call the police, and deal with it on my own.
The inadequate responses from the university made these experiences even more painful.
Reports of antisemitic incidents were met with dismissal or minimal action, prioritizing the institution’s inclusive image over addressing real harm. There were no thorough investigations, no statements condemning the rhetoric, and no support offered to affected students. This silence from the administration conveyed a message that our concerns were not a priority.
This is not just an issue on my campus but others as well. Months of dealing with such negativity and studying in such a hostile, dark environment often left me defeated, with a lot to process and balance. However, I refused to be overcome by the negativity, but instead searched for a way to use my skill set and help the people of Israel.
I made the decision to fly to Israel, with the purpose of being proactive and productive on the ground. This decision allowed me to reclaim my narrative and demonstrate that despite the hatred and marginalization I faced, I would not be silenced but could contribute positively. By supporting affected communities through agriculture, packing centers, bakeries that aided in rebuilding kibbutzim, and using my speech and language therapy studies to help in a rehabilitation hospital, I rediscovered a sense of agency I had lost on campus.
Working alongside people from diverse backgrounds in Israel, I experienced firsthand the power of solidarity and support, transcending differences in a way that felt deeply healing and transformative.
This journey in Israel reinforced my understanding of the importance of standing up against antisemitism in all its forms, even when it feels like no one is listening — just how I felt on campus. Those of us who are affected by this hatred cannot afford to remain silent, because silence only allows the hate to grow unchecked.
Whether it’s on campus, in the media, or in broader society, we have a responsibility to speak out and to take action. For me, that meant volunteering for a few months in Israel, and taking back the resilience and energy I regained in Israel back to campus. For others, it might look different. However, it’s important that everyone is able to find a way to give back and help in times of trouble.
The hostile environment that pro-Israel students face today is not going away anytime soon, but we have the power to fight back. We can demand more from our universities, hold them accountable for failing to protect their students, and find ways to make a difference in our own communities. Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, thrives on fear and division. By uniting and refusing to be silenced, we can push back against the darkness and move towards a more just and compassionate world.
Hannah Curtis is a student at City, University of London, and a CAMERA fellow.
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Iran, US Task Experts to Design Framework for a Nuclear Deal, Tehran Says
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Iran and the United States agreed on Saturday to task experts to start drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister said, after a second round of talks following President Donald Trump’s threat of military action.
At their second indirect meeting in a week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi negotiated for almost four hours in Rome with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, through an Omani official who shuttled messages between them.
Trump, who abandoned a 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers during his first term in 2018, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, says it is willing to discuss limited curbs to its atomic work in return for lifting international sanctions.
Speaking on state TV after the talks, Araqchi described them as useful and conducted in a constructive atmosphere.
“We were able to make some progress on a number of principles and goals, and ultimately reached a better understanding,” he said.
“It was agreed that negotiations will continue and move into the next phase, in which expert-level meetings will begin on Wednesday in Oman. The experts will have the opportunity to start designing a framework for an agreement.”
The top negotiators would meet again in Oman next Saturday to “review the experts’ work and assess how closely it aligns with the principles of a potential agreement,” he added.
Echoing cautious comments last week from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he added: “We cannot say for certain that we are optimistic. We are acting very cautiously. There is no reason either to be overly pessimistic.”
There was no immediate comment from the US side following the talks. Trump told reporters on Friday: “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”
Washington’s ally Israel, which opposed the 2015 agreement with Iran that Trump abandoned in 2018, has not ruled out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter.
Since 2019, Iran has breached and far surpassed the 2015 deal’s limits on its uranium enrichment, producing stocks far above what the West says is necessary for a civilian energy program.
A senior Iranian official, who described Iran’s negotiating position on condition of anonymity on Friday, listed its red lines as never agreeing to dismantle its uranium enriching centrifuges, halt enrichment altogether or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below levels agreed in the 2015 deal.
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Hamas Says Fate of US-Israeli Hostage Unknown After Guard Killed in Israel Strike
Varda Ben Baruch, the grandmother of Edan Alexander, 19, an Israeli army volunteer kidnapped by Hamas, attends a special Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony with families of other hostages, in Herzliya, Israel October 27, 2023 REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki
Hamas said on Saturday the fate of an Israeli dual national soldier believed to be the last US citizen held alive in Gaza was unknown, after the body of one of the guards who had been holding him was found killed by an Israeli strike.
A month after Israel abandoned the ceasefire with the resumption of intensive strikes across the breadth of Gaza, Israel was intensifying its attacks.
President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said in March that freeing Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old New Jersey native who was serving in the Israeli army when he was captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that precipitated the war, was a “top priority.” His release was at the center of talks held between Hamas leaders and US negotiator Adam Boehler last month.
Hamas had said on Tuesday that it had lost contact with the militants holding Alexander after their location was hit in an Israeli attack. On Saturday it said the body of one of the guards had been recovered.
“The fate of the prisoner and the rest of the captors remains unknown,” said Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson Abu Ubaida.
“We are trying to protect all the hostages and preserve their lives … but their lives are in danger because of the criminal bombings by the enemy’s army,” Abu Ubaida said.
The Israeli military did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Hamas released 38 hostages under the ceasefire that began on January 19. Fifty-nine are still believed to be held in Gaza, fewer than half of them still alive.
Israel put Gaza under a total blockade in March and restarted its assault on March 18 after talks failed to extend the ceasefire. Hamas says it will free remaining hostages only under an agreement that permanently ends the war; Israel says it will agree only to a temporary pause.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it hit about 40 targets across the enclave over the past day. The military on Saturday announced that a 35-year-old soldier had died in combat in Gaza.
NETANYAHU STATEMENT
Late on Thursday Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ Gaza chief, said the movement was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel in return for an end to the war and reconstruction of Gaza.
He dismissed an Israeli offer, which includes a demand that Hamas lay down its arms, as imposing “impossible conditions.”
Israel has not responded formally to Al-Hayya’s comments, but ministers have said repeatedly that Hamas must be disarmed completely and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to give a statement later on Saturday.
Hamas on Saturday also released an undated and edited video of Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot. Hamas has released several videos over the course of the war of hostages begging to be released. Israeli officials have dismissed past videos as propaganda.
After the video was released, Bohbot’s family said in a statement that they were “deeply shocked and devastated,” and expressed concern for his mental and physical condition.
“How much longer will he be expected to wait and ‘stay strong’?” the family asked, urging for all of the 59 hostages who are still held in Gaza to be brought home.
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Oman’s Sultan to Meet Putin in Moscow After Iran-US Talks
FILE PHOTO: Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is set to visit Moscow on Monday, days after the start of a round of Muscat-mediated nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
The sultan will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
Iran and the US started a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran’s atomic aims, under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.
Ahead of Saturday’s talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Following the meeting, Lavrov said Russia was “ready to assist, mediate and play any role that will be beneficial to Iran and the USA.”
Moscow has played a role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations in the past as a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and signatory to an earlier deal that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The sultan’s meetings in Moscow visit will focus on cooperation on regional and global issues, the Omani state news agency and the Kremlin said, without providing further detail.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade and economic ties, the Kremlin added.
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