Jewish chaplains’ houses targeted in ‘frightening’ campaign on two university campuses

Jewish chaplains’ houses are being targeted in a “frightening” campaign on two university campuses, The Telegraph has learnt.

Many students fear for their safety amid a 400 per cent spike in anti-Semitism. It comes as some student unions and lecturers appear to have failed to condemn Hamas, a proscribed terror group, since the Israel-Hamas war began.

It has now emerged that Jewish chaplains’ houses, designed to be a safe space for students, have been targeted at two universities.

Sophie Dunoff, the chief executive of University Jewish Chaplaincy, which runs such services on dozens of British campuses, told The Telegraph: “My own chaplains have been targeted – they are very obviously Jewish and their houses are very well-known by the students and often a hub of Jewish activity.

“Unfortunately I have two chaplaincy couples whose homes have been targeted over the last couple of weeks. . . somebody actually trespassed around the side of the house, approached the open back door, asked our female chaplain if this was a Jewish house, to which she said it was, and she was then told that ‘they’re watching you and the house’. She quickly locked the door and called the police.”

Ms Dunoff said that in other cases Jewish students felt “too scared to leave” a library because of protesters chanting “from the river to the sea” outside, while one dorm displaying an Israeli flag had “stones thrown” at it.

Robert Halfon, the minister for higher education, said it was “horrific”, “scary” and “frightening for Jewish people in England at the moment”. “I get messages from the Jewish Chaplaincy Service in higher education that Jewish students are having Palestinian flags draped over their cars or doors knocked on the Jewish chaplain with people saying: ‘We know where you live.’”

I was wondering which universities these were, but too many with strong chapters of FOSIS (prejudging? me?) spring to mind. It could be any one of dozens.