Hate and indifference. How the world has changed for young Jews since 7 October

“Since 7 October, practically everything has changed for us. We have found ourselves in a climate of hostility that we never thought could happen again. Not only in universities, but also outside them, young Italian Jews have found themselves in great difficulty.” Maia Piperno, 22, a biomedical engineering student at the Politecnico di Milano, is president of the Union of Young Jews of Italy (UGEI), one of the Jewish organisations that has been most affected by the climate of hatred sparked on campuses following the resurgence of the conflict in the Middle East. “Today it is much harder to go about freely, to wear a kippah or the Star of David. These developments had not reached this level of severity before 7 October,” she tells Il Foglio.

There are numerous accounts of students being attacked or marginalised within universities, many of which have been reported by the observatory of the CDEC Foundation (Centre for Contemporary Jewish Documentation), which notes that such cases have been rising exponentially over the past four years. “Fortunately, within my university community, I’ve always surrounded myself with the right people and I feel safe. But I have friends and cousins who’ve had to face unpleasant situations even at secondary school. All you have to do is say you’re Jewish and people immediately link it to geopolitics. That’s why many prefer not to expose themselves.” Perhaps the indifference – or at the very least the lack of awareness – on the part of some vice-chancellors regarding the seriousness of the situation has also played a part? “Yes, not least because it is clear that the university must remain a space for free debate and dialogue. Fortunately, there are exemplary cases, such as the university I attend, the Politecnico, which has managed to remain fairly neutral and has guaranteed the right to education. Then, however, there are cases such as that of the Einaudi Campus in Turin (where the UGEI was prevented from displaying a poster for the ‘right to education’), where the abuse of power was plain for all to see,” says Piperno. In his view, in any case, “there is a huge difference between human relationships and those mediated by social media, which are often a vehicle for hatred. In human relationships, it is more common to meet people who are interested in understanding your culture, learning about your traditions, and engaging in interfaith dialogue. It is the arduous attempt to engage with one another rather than clash.’ Speaking of conflict, one of UGEI’s latest campaigns is aimed at raising awareness of the Anti-Semitism Bill, which is currently awaiting final approval in Parliament. “For us, this piece of legislation is very important because it recognises a specific phenomenon that is gaining ground in our country. To say that Israelis are the new Nazis is to fall back, yet again, into the demonisation of another culture, into the desperate search for a scapegoat. Furthermore, the IHRA definition is important because it has been adopted for years at European level and was endorsed by Italy in 2020. There is no curtailment of freedom of assembly and demonstration. In our own small way, we have launched an appeal seeking to bring together as many associations as possible from different political backgrounds, in order to be as inclusive as possible.”

Social media, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. “And we at UGEI have used it for awareness-raising campaigns such as ‘We are the memory’ on the Holocaust. Or the ‘Ask a Jew’ campaign to raise awareness of our culture: that of Italians who simply practise a different religion.” The regret is always having to put up with calls for boycotts, such as the one regarding the exclusion of Jewish LGBTQ+ organisations from Pride events. “But also the exclusion of the Jewish Brigade from the 25 April parades. It shows a lack of understanding of the history of the Liberation,” says Piperno. So, the hope is that in future, a date such as 7 October will no longer be seen as divisive? “If only,” concludes the UGEI president with a touch of bitterness. “That is what we hope for. Although this year in Bologna, there were those who spoke not of a pogrom committed against the Jews but of an act of Palestinian resistance. We still have a long way to go.”