Taskforce: higher education must better stand up for Jewish students

Higher education must better monitor social safety for Jewish students and employees. This group “frequently experiences incidents, bullying and intimidation.” This is stated by the Anti-Semitism Task Force that was established last year by the Schoof cabinet in the advice published on Monday Caught in freedoms.

Pay attention to the Jewish minority, stand next to them and stand up for them clearly and visibly

The assignment was to come up with proposals to improve the safety of Jewish students at universities and to look at safety during protests at train stations. The reason was the many Gaza actions at universities and stations since October 2023. Task force chairman Jaap Smit, former King’s Commissioner in South Holland, makes an “appeal” to administrators and other stakeholders in the report: “Pay attention to the Jewish minority, stand next to them and stand up for them clearly and visibly.”

The Taskforce’s proposals had to fit within the framework of existing legislation and regulations. The advice therefore contains no proposals to change this. The Taskforce also makes no concrete recommendations to further tighten the rules and procedures in higher education regarding protest actions. However, they must be observed more closely.

The Taskforce believes, for example, that educational institutions should intervene more quickly if people exhibit inappropriate behavior during protests. Although universities have already taken numerous measures to improve security at demonstrations – from risk analyzes to access control – there remains a “gray area” that prevents measures from being taken too late.

Wash out

The Taskforce analyzed all protest actions that have been held on campuses and stations since October 2023 and spoke to more than 120 people involved: activists, experts, experience experts and administrators. The advice does not state how many Jewish students and employees were interviewed.

Although the protest actions in higher education are “largely peaceful”, according to the Task Force, the Task Force does identify “excesses such as incidents of violence, threats and intimidation”. Figures are lacking, but the Taskforce estimates that since October 2023, about twenty to thirty protest actions have been “accompanied by (serious) violence between demonstrators and police.”

According to the Taskforce, the actions have serious consequences for the sense of security of Jewish students and employees. “Some of them hide their Jewish identity or stay away from campus,” the advice states. The Taskforce spoke to ten Jewish employees who are at home because they feel unsafe at work. Non-Jewish students and employees are also hindered by the protests, the report says.

According to the Taskforce, the sit-ins at stations had less impact. These were “generally peaceful.” Once the police intervened. A risk, according to the report, is the “volume of noise” during demonstrations, including for activists themselves, because “station halls often function as sound boxes.” Better agreements should also be made about this between action groups, NS and local authorities.

Banning anti-Semitic speakers from universities, which the Task Force also had to advise on, is not an “urgent problem,” the report said. However, institutions must ensure that meetings do not become “one-sided” and lead to “feelings of insecurity”.

Anti-Zionism

The definition of anti-Semitism used in the report is “hatred, prejudice or discrimination directed against Jews.” Anti-Zionism can acquire an “anti-Semitic character” if it opposes the right of Jews to self-determination or holds Jews collectively responsible for “the actions of Israel.” The Taskforce does not comment on the question of which definition of anti-Semitism universities should use. There are political and academic disagreements about this.

The report shows great understanding for the position of administrators of educational institutions. It is “clear that the protest actions also demand a lot from drivers in terms of commitment, stress and even personal safety,” Smit writes. “They deserve our support.” The Taskforce calls on national politicians to remain “restraint” in local incidents and to avoid “disproportionate fuss and interference”.

The Task Force was criticized by Gaza activists, who found its composition one-sided and feared restrictions on the right to demonstrate. Members included Chanan Hertzberger, chairman of the Central Jewish Consultation, Ton Heerts, chairman of the Association of Dutch Municipalities, Wouter Koolmees, president of NS and Edo Verdoner, National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism. Rianne Letschert, chair of the Executive Board of Maastricht University, left the Taskforce when she became informant for the new cabinet in December.

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