Jewish Cardiff University student told to ‘hide religion’ due to the Israel-Hamas War

A Jewish student from Cardiff University says they were told to hide their religion due to the ongoing events in the Middle East.

The anonymous Cardiff University student, 20, said she felt scared of becoming a target of abuse.

She told the BBC that she knows a number of people who have stopped wearing their kippahs as they were concerned about being targeted. She also explained that one of her friends is “terrified to go back to campus” over fears of antisemitism.

The Union of Jewish Students advised people who were worried about being targeted, to hide signs of their faith.

Speaking to the BBC, Cardiff University emphasised that there is a zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia at the establishment.

Moran and Tova who were born in Israel said they felt let down by the Welsh Government since the Hamas attack on 7th October: “We had a meeting here, we had a representative of the British government but not Wales.”

The women also added that they felt unsafe in Cardiff and that one of their friends had been verbally abused for placing an Israeli flag on the Senedd steps.

Alaa Khundakji, a Welsh-Palestinian woman from Cardiff has family members who have been displaced due to the bombings in Gaza. She said her community feel “dehumanised” and she is concerned about how Palestinians are being portrayed.

She further added that her children have been coming home from school in a “distressed” state.