Jewish students warn of ‘toxic’ atmosphere at uni

JEWISH students at Edinburgh University face a “toxic atmosphere” in which they are forced to hide their identity, community leaders have claimed.

Members of the Scottish Jewish Student Chaplaincy and the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities told university bosses that students were concealing signs of their religion amid rising hostility on the world-famous institution’s campuses.

It also emerged Jewish students were quitting courses “in despair” after anti-Israel demonstrations at Edinburgh.

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Jewish leaders accused the university of a lack of urgency in tackling the problem.

A community spokesman said: “The university needs to be aware of the international damage that is being done not only to Edinburgh’s reputation, but also to that of other Scottish universities and to the wider nation.”

University bosses insisted they wanted all their students to feel safe. A spokesman said: “We work closely and collaboratively with students to foster good relations and we want all of our students to feel safe and supported.”