Jewish Society (JSoc) and Islamic Society (ISoc) will organise antisemitism and Islamophobia training sessions at over a dozen colleges this Freshers’ Week. Several colleges accepted one society’s offer but not the other’s.
Over summer, JSoc reached out to all JCRs and MCRs over summer, offering to send a representative to deliver a presentation “on the Jewish community, the history of antisemitism, how to identify it, and how to report it,” according to the society’s email.
JSoc president Kai Ogden told Cherwell that to date, twelve common rooms have shown interest, with most of them confirmed. Most colleges that declined cite timetabling issues, so JSoc is also working on ways to support these colleges to make them a safe and inclusive space for Jewish students.
Similarly, ISoc contacted 30 colleges, 16 of which have arranged workshops with their freshers. While the remaining colleges are still considering, some JCRs have been unresponsive or declined the workshops, according to ISoc president Aman Sultan.
At least four colleges only accepted one society’s workshop but not the other. It is unclear which colleges and why.
Oriel College, who declined the workshops, told Cherwell that “it is customary to only include induction events organised by Oriel College or its JCR”. Oriel did not comment on whether alternative inclusivity training would take place. Corpus Christi College also declined, while Christ Church College did not respond, according to ISoc.
ISoc is working with Oxford University’s EDI (equality, diversity, inclusion) team to receive support for its workshops “designed to educate students on recognising and addressing bias within Oxford, unpacking the negative media and political perceptions, and discussing specific challenges faced by Muslim students in this environment,” Sultan told Cherwell.
The society is also providing information to the EDI team for a University staff briefing. This comes amid the University’s calls to “make Oxford a welcoming and inclusive place” in an email to all students.
Sultan continued: “Islamophobia has indeed become a more pressing concern within the University over the past year. We believe that a lack of education on the topic for both staff and students has allowed the issue to persist. Many Muslim students have personally faced Islamaphobic comments, discrimination, and even harassment within the university and city, which highlights the need for proactive measures to address this growing concern.”
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