University should have protected us, say chaplains hounded off Leeds campus
Rabbi Zecharia and Nava Deutsch, who are back in Israel after three years of service, also thank Jewish organisations for their support during post-7/10 abuse
The Jewish chaplains for Leeds University and the surrounding Yorkshire region are flying home to Israel following their three years of service.
As reported by Jewish News, following the Hamas atrocities of 7 October, Israeli citizen chaplain Rabbi Deutsch was called up for IDF reserve duty. On his return to campus, he, his wife Nava and young family faced a barrage of antisemitic abuse, including over 300 abusive and threatening phone calls, and a number of death threats.
The university J-Soc building Hillel House was also defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC), which has provided rabbinic couples to serve on UK university campuses for more than 50 years, said that rabbi and Mrs Deutsch had made “significant contributions to UJC and to the Jewish student community in Leeds. Their dedication to their roles, supporting Jewish students and fostering a vibrant Jewish life on campus, has been invaluable”.
The organisation, offering support to more than 8500 Jewish students at over 100 universities in 13 UK regions, added: “Since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October, the situation for Jewish students on campuses across the country has become increasingly challenging with rising levels of antisemitic incidents being reported and recorded. This has also been the case in Leeds where the words “Free Palestine” were graffitied on the side of the Hillel House in February 2024.”
Rabbi and Mrs. Deutsch said: “As we come to the end of our three-year posting, we have thoroughly enjoyed our time working for UJC, and especially getting to know and love the Jewish students in Leeds and across the Yorkshire region. They are a very special group of people, and our family is grateful for this experience.
“The past few months since October last year have been exceptionally challenging at both a personal and communal level. There were many moments when we felt that the University should have been much stronger in protecting our family, and the Jewish students from those elements on campus who were attacking Israel and our right to be Jews.
“Throughout this time, we want to thank the UJC team, the Leeds Jewish Representative Council, the CST, the BOD (Board of Deputies), the JLC, (Jewish Leadership Council) the Leeds Jewish community and others who offered us such incredible moral and physical support from across the community. It means a great deal.
“Despite these challenges, we return to Israel grateful for having completed our three-year term serving the students in Leeds and Yorkshire, proud of everything we have achieved together over three incredibly meaningful years.”
Sophie Dunoff, chief executive of UJC said: “During their time in the UK, the Deutschs have made a significant contribution to UJC and the Jewish student community in Leeds. Their dedication to their roles, supporting Jewish students and fostering a vibrant Jewish life on campus has been invaluable.
The dignity with which they faced the torrent of antisemitic abuse post 7th October was heroic, and I know gave strength and inspiration to the local Jewish student population. Despite the violent threats to which they were subjected, the Deutschs bravely decided to complete their three-year term of service. We are proud and in awe of their commitment to their students and the continuity of Jewish student life in Leeds and the Yorkshire region.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to engage with the University of Leeds and work with our partners in the Jewish community to ensure that Leeds remains a safe and welcoming place for Jewish students to attend university. We will also embark on a thorough recruitment process to identify a Chaplaincy couple to succeed the Deutschs.
“Whilst we are obviously sad to see Rabbi Zecharia and Nava Deutsch and their wonderful family leave, we offer them our heartfelt thanks and wish them every success back home in Israel.”
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.
