09-05-2025
‘I was scared and alone': the victims of university antisemitism
Naomi Brookarsh entered Freshers Week at the University of Manchester under no illusions that her five years studying medicine would be untouched by the scourge of antisemitism.
Years earlier her brother had encountered the age-old hatred at Birmingham University, an institution with a vibrant Jewish community. It was only when Manchester returned to life after the removal of coronavirus restrictions that she saw antisemitism on campus for herself.
'When the conflict broke out [between Israel and Hamas] in [May] 2021, there was a spike in antisemitism on campus. I was quite shocked because suddenly loads of people were posting on social media about what was happening, and I remember feeling a bit isolated,' Brookarsh, 24, said. 'At that point, I didn't realise that it was
