Wednesday 06-04-2022 - 14:56

Dear Larissa & NUS Executive team, 

 

We hope this finds you all well as you close out your term as our NUS Sabbatical team. 

 

We are reaching out as we are deeply disappointed and hurt by the way the Jewish community have been engaged with and treated this year. Within the last month, the issue around Lowkey has highlighted the difficult relationship between Jewish students and NUS. 

 

Our Jewish students have legitimate issues and questions about decisions made by the NUS leadership, which we feel need to be addressed. In particular, we would like more clarification on the choice to host Lowkey as a performer at this years' NUS conference. We also want you to address the poor response when UJS and Jewish students challenged this. The suggestion that ‘Jewish students go into an existing safe space designed for neuro-divergent students who are sensitive to loud noise for the duration of Lowkey’s performance’ was insulting and exclusionary. This is on top of the executive team's inaction when the president, Larissa Kennedy, shared platforms with people holding concerning views on the Jewish Community, like the 18th March 2021 event. This has isolated Jewish students. 

 

Antisemitism is a major issue within the student movement, and we need serious action to stamp it out. We want the NUS leadership to take antisemitism seriously and set an example. You have set the wrong example. 

 

We acknowledge that this is not a problem that starts with your team; the NUS has an uncomfortable history with antisemitism. NUS has had former senior officials embroiled in allegations of antisemitism and has had to disqualify several individuals running for NEC positions due to comments about the Jewish community since 2016. It’s disconcerting that these individuals ever felt welcome at all. 

 

We do not want the NUS to keep failing the Jewish community. Too many Jewish activists have been pushed out of the student movement, from fear, anxiety, hostility, an environment that encourages antisemitic dialogue, and blatant antisemitic comments and/or actions. 

 

We thank you for the apology to the Jewish community, and we look forward to seeing a clear communication of the changes you will make. The NUS must acknowledge the harmful potential that Lowkey’s views hold. We therefore want to see you meaningfully engage with UJS, and proactively work to rebuild relationships between NUS, and the Jewish community. 

 

The Jewish community has been let down time and time again. The Lancaster University Students’ Union Full Time Officer team will not sit back and watch the community go through endless trauma caused by NUS. We hope this will be the end of the issue and will be looking forward to see changes. 

 

We look forward to your reply. 

 

Sincerely, 

Lancaster University Students’ Union Full Time Officer Team. 

Dominic Casoria, VP Societies & Media. 

India Ellis, VP Union Development. 

Amy Merchant, VP Welfare. 

Paul McCarthy, VP Sports. 

Gayatri Shewani, VP Education. 

Oliver Robinson, President.