SOAS. Photo: Wikipedia

An emergency motion aimed at protecting Jews at a British university notorious for its radical anti-Israel activism will be brought before the school’s student union on Tuesday, its initiator told The Algemeiner.

Avrahum Sanger, president of the Jewish Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, explained that the resolution he drafted seeks to tackle “issues that concern the welfare of Jewish students or make it difficult for them to both practice their religion and fully participate in university” – due, for example, to a lack of kosher food; scheduling that conflicts with Shabbat and Jewish holidays; and the silencing and marginalization of Jewish voices on campus.

Sanger recently told the UK’s Evening Standard that his peers at the school are “scared” to appear recognizably Jewish, and refrain from wearing stars of David or speaking Hebrew in public. Sanger said that the intensely politically active student body is decidedly anti-Israel, and its members have promoted views that — as The Algemeiner has extensively reported — have been widely defined as antisemitic.

A spokesperson at SOAS said that the school is “very concerned to hear that any student is afraid to openly express their faith or belief.”

“We aim to be inclusive of all students of faith and we welcome suggestions about how to best achieve this,” the spokesperson told The Algemeiner.

Sanger said he is “confident that his motion will pass” and that things will improve, describing the upside of the otherwise serious problem. “During bad times at university, Jewish students become extremely close in order to battle the problems they face,” he said.

The atmosphere at SOAS is not unique, according to one British parliamentarian, who recently asserted that UK universities are becoming “no-go zones” for Jews.