Jewish students and university professors have had an eventful academic year. National student rabbi Yanki Jacobs organized a barbecue to reflect on the past and look ahead.
TEXT: ESTHER VOET PHOTOS: NOA DUIZEND
This is a translation a previously published article in NIW 38
Under the motto “the best time to celebrate is whenever you can,” about 180 Jewish students and lecturers from higher education institutions across the Netherlands, from north to south, gathered at an end-of-year barbecue organized by Yanki Jacobs and his wife, Esty, on behalf of Chabad on Campus Netherlands. There was live music and catering provided by HaBaron, but most importantly, it was an opportunity to seek support from each other after an eventful academic year. Attendees exchanged experiences and looked to the future.
It’s clear that this academic year has left no one untouched. This is confirmed by Jan de Vries, who studies Jewish Studies at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and spoke to NIW after the barbecue. He was at the center of the storm at his university and reflects: “After October 7, emotions were already running high in our department because many of my fellow students had connections with Israel. But in the months that followed, we saw counter-protests become increasingly intense. This made many students feel uncertain and anxious, especially because at first, we were not being listened to.”
Jan decided, along with a fellow student, to send a letter to the university, co-signed by other Jewish students. In it, they described how the relationships among students were deteriorating. A Jewish delegation was invited to speak with the university leadership: “We needed to make our voices heard because we want to continue studying. We had to show how the developments at our university were affecting us, especially mentally. I personally found that I had less time for my studies, and as a result, I missed all my deadlines. Fortunately, my lecturers were understanding, but it does show how much it has disrupted all of us.”
Together
Jan is pleased with the sympathetic ear he found with the leadership, but he adds: “How things will develop after the summer remains to be seen. I describe my attitude as positive-realistic. The university is listening to us, but we have to be realistic enough to realize that if the protesters don’t get their way and the war continues, this won’t just be over in the next academic year. We’ll have to live with that.”
The evening at Chabad on Campus was also a source of encouragement for Jan. “At least now we know what to expect in the coming year, and such a gathering is comforting; you know you’re not alone, that you’re in this together.” This sentiment is echoed by two Russian-Jewish students who were present. They fled Russia years ago and are now studying in the Netherlands. Jan: “What they shared was indicative of the current atmosphere. Since the war in Ukraine, they had felt safe in the Netherlands as Russians. Now, they feel much more threatened as Jewish students. I found that an interesting comparison.”
Intellectual Approach
The feeling of solidarity, the experience that you are not alone, was precisely the goal of Jacobs’ initiative. With financial support from a “friend of the Jewish community,” he organized an evening where not only students – including a significant number of Israelis – but also lecturers could relax. Among them was Marc Salomon, dean of the Amsterdam Business School (ABS), a part of the UvA. An incident had already occurred during a graduation ceremony at that faculty, when a Palestinian student made a political statement, causing an Israeli family to feel compelled to leave the ceremony.
Salomon, along with former chair of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Mirjam van Praag, wrote an opinion piece in NRC highlighting the feeling of insecurity among Jewish students. “We approach this not by demonstrating, taking to the streets, and causing damage, but rather through the intellectual route: a letter with arguments.” Salomon was one of the attendees at the evening at Chabad on Campus, where professors Irene Zwiep and Bart Wallet were also present. Salomon: “Before this academic year, I had never experienced such underlying antisemitism. That was an eye-opener. After that letter, we were invited, along with Jewish students, to meet with the outgoing Minister of Education, Dijkgraaf. There, we heard from a student who was called a child murderer in a chat group.”
Underlying Issues
Marc Salomon sees more threats for the coming academic year, for example, in the form of the “ethical committees” that are now being established: “It will be interesting to see who will be on them. They haven’t announced it as such, but my fear is that such a committee will primarily focus on ties with Israeli academic institutions while leaving ties with China or Palestinian areas untouched. I fervently hope we don’t go down that path and that universities don’t start making their own laws and rules. You can already see this happening at the University of Ghent in Belgium. There, the administration has decided to sever ties with Israeli universities. But staff members should not be the ones deciding what is and isn’t allowed. Self-imposed restrictions on academic freedom are a major enemy, and I am genuinely concerned about that.”
Salomon has a house in Antwerp, where he regularly stays. He says: “It seems quieter in that city, but I fear that there too, a lot is simmering beneath the surface.” The dean is in close contact with Yanki Jacobs, who he says “is trying to keep things together.” “I have great respect for that. The mutual connection among Jews at universities is important. We must support each other. It is important that we can approach the administrations. We spend a lot of time on that, and we really need to keep doing so.”
Sectarian
Initiator Yanki Jacobs looks back on a successful event with visitors from all directions. “We mustn’t forget the facultymembers at universities,” warns the rabbi. “Students know that they’ll finish their studies in a few years, but for a professor or any member of faculty, it’s a different story. It’s even lonelier for them because they are connected to such an academic institution for longer. They watch with dismay as all sorts of committees are now being formed. Moreover, the discussion about academic freedom is not over. On the contrary, it is just beginning. And with that, you’re not discussing the conflict; you’re importing it. You’re making Israel’s position a topic of discussion again. Universities should say, ‘That’s not our task,’ but that’s exactly what the administrators have underestimated.”
Jacobs draws a comparison with the dynamics you see in cults. “Scientific research shows that cult members tend to embrace the ideology of the movement extremely. The rest of their lives, such as family, work, etc., takes a back seat. This indicates that it’s not the ideology they are attracted to, but underlying psychological problems that are the driving force. In our case, given the intensity and frequency, you could say that the surge in opposition we are seeing actually has very little to do with the Palestinian cause. It’s about a general sense of discomfort.”
Consultation
At the same time, says Jacobs, this means that due to that unconscious psychological factor, we probably won’t be able to resolve this through discussions. “Nevertheless, we are making an effort by launching important initiatives. We’ve had discussions with students, lecturers, and national politicians, but we fear that polarization will become more intense in the next academic year. That’s why we’ve now taken the initiative to establish a national Jewish student council. Israeli academics should also be part of this because they are under enormous pressure. The aim is to form a group from different universities and various disciplines. We notice that there is a strong need for this, both among lecturers and students.”
It might be too strong to say that Jews in higher education are “arming” themselves for the upcoming academic year, but they are certainly not naive about the near future. Some got to know each other better this Thursday. Jan de Vries: “I look back on it with great pleasure. I saw students there who I had previously met in discussion groups, friends, lecturers. In this informal atmosphere, it’s a great way to establish closer contact. For all those present who are worried and think the same way about the situation, the message was: you are not alone.”
