York student gets apology and £1,000 after anti-Semitism battle
Law student Zachary Confine had been racially abused and bullied, and received £1,000 in addition to an apology
A Jewish student has received an apology and payment of £1,000 from the University of York Students’ Union after complaining of anti-Semitism.
Law student Zachary Confino, 21, was offered the four-figure sum after two years of battling anti-Semitism from students whilst studying at the university.
It is understood that Mr Confino, who narrowly missed out on a first class degree and had suffered with stress, had been racially abused and bullied.
The university confirmed that Mr Confino had accepted the written apology from the university’s students’ union following the long-running complaint.
A spokesperson for the University of York said that they had acted as a mediator to resolve the matter and that they welcomed students from “all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities”.
The statement said: “The University of York acted as mediator to resolve a long-running complaint brought by a student against the University of York Students’ Union (YUSU). This involved an apology by the Students’ Union to the student and a token payment of £1,000.”
The statement added that joint statements had been signed with both the Jewish Society and the Islamic Society on campus.
It continued: “The University is committed to preserving the right to freedom of expression while also combating anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and any other form of race hate.
“We welcome students from all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities in our diverse community.”
Jonathan Sacerdoti, director of communications at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, praised Mr Confino’s “incredible strength and dedication” but said that the union’s apology and payment of compensation was not enough.
He said: “There must also be a commitment to fighting anti-Semitism properly, something they failed to do in Zachary’s case.
“It should not be necessary for individual Jewish students to fight lengthy battles with their university unions over the course of many months or years in order to have Jew-hatred dealt with properly.”
The Union of Jewish Students welcomed the apology by YUSU, but said it |doesn’t mask the fact that anti-Semitism is still an issue on UK campuses. What is most worrying is that Zachary’s concerns were not considered to be serious, and therefore dismissed by so many people. This is a problem experienced all too often by Jewish students and is one that needs eradicating. We will continue to support Jewish students in ensuring that antisemitism is properly reported and dealt with across the UK.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
