Policy: University Chaplain Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch
The following motion was carried at an emergency branch general meeting 4 March 2024. The text here is subject to approval of the minutes of that meeting and the approved minutes will be the correct version.
This Branch notes that:
- The University of Leeds (UoL) Chaplain, Zecharia Deutsch, has resumed work after serving as a reservist in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in 2023.
- The IDF has been accused of:
- Deaths, injury, humiliation, torture & starvation of Palestinian civilians
- Educide: deaths of over 4,327 students, 231 teachers, 94 professors; destruction of every HEI & hundreds of schools.
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds it plausible that Israel’s acts in Gaza amount to genocide.
- University Chaplains provide services to students of all faiths/no faith.
- Deutsch is provided by a third-party, but is still bound by UoL Codes of Conduct.
- The Muslim chaplain announced her resignation, in part due to “fundamental values” not being lived out on campus “since the international events around early October 2023”.
This branch believes that Deutsch’s presence on campus:
- Risks inflaming a volatile situation.
- Intimidates and traumatises UoL staff and students who are Palestinian, Muslim or support the Palestinian cause.
- Does not align with the University’s EDI strategy.
This branch therefore resolves to demand that UoL:
- Recognise that Deutsch’s presence on campus is untenable.
- Outline UoL’s standpoint on members of staff participating in military activity that involves significant citizen death and destruction of civil infrastructure.
- Extend clear channels of support to UoL staff and students negatively affected by the situation
- Commit to its values of Compassion and Inclusivity & Professional Behaviours & Dignity & Mutual Respect.
This page was last updated on 11 March 2024