Antisemitic acts targeting Jewish students at Charles University have increased significantly since the October 7 terror attacks; many of these incidents remain unreported. While administrative assistance has been almost nonexistent, the Czech Union of Jewish Youth (ČUŽM) has taken the initiative to engage with political authorities to secure support and ensure the safety of Jewish students.
There have been numerous incidents of antisemitism targeting Jewish students, most of which remain unreported. There are many posters and stickers with explicit antisemitic slogans on my campus. There are new organizations that are trying to expand the "pro-Palestinian protests" to my university that are most likely funded from abroad. There are new "pro-Palestinian" organizations and initiatives almost every day. However, many victims hesitate to report incidents to university authorities due to a lack of trust and fear of potential negative consequences on their studies.
When incidents are reported, students typically reach out to either the Czech Union of Jewish Youth (ČUŽM) or the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. The Czech Union of Jewish Youth (ČUŽM) has been in contact with multiple governmental figures to gain the support needed to keep Jewish students safe.In these meetings, I and the rest of ČUŽM described the situation of antisemitism at Czech universities, to which these officials have pledged and demonstrated their support for Jewish students. I am also in touch with the Federation of Czech Kehilas (FŽO) and their security department. They are communicating with the university as well, and they are trying to contribute to solving the problem.
Klára Laurenková, the government's Human Rights Commissioner; the President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil; and the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, have all taken the time to listen to us. Additionally, we have reported some of the incidents to the Czech police, and they are investigating the cases.
I have written three letters to the Charles University Rector in the last six months, and she has not replied to any of them (even though I have sent similar letters to 20 other Czech university rectors, all of whom have replied). In an open letter, I have also urged Czech universities to embrace the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism; unfortunately, none of the universities have adopted it yet. However, with the continued escalation of antisemitic incidents across European campuses, we have been actively working to try and combat the rise of antisemitism on campus.
The only rector to fully disregard the letter was Charles University Rector Milena Králíčková. Additionally, I have learned from other rectories that she has been actively discouraging other rectors from adopting the IHRA definition in their respective universities. However, when we talk to the rectors of the Czech universities privately, they assure us of their support, yet they are hesitant to express their support publicly. The president of the Czech Republic (who is also the rector of Charles University) has been ignoring us the whole time.
Through educational resources such as Zoom calls, lectures, and in-person meetings, I gained valuable insights on how to engage with influential figures and navigate diplomatic interactions effectively. The close collaboration with EUJS and WUJS has been instrumental in amplifying our impact, as coordinated actions with other unions have yielded more significant results. The expansive social circle that the Lauder Fellowship is a part of also enabled me to forge an imperative relationship with the Federation of the Czech Communities in the Czech Republic, which has been incredibly supportive in advancing our initiatives as they stand firmly behind us in all our endeavors.
