A representative body of Scottish Jews has urged Edinburgh University to retain a prominent definition of antisemitism.
The intervention comes after the submission of a motion to the university’s Senate which accuses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, adopted by the institution in 2020, of “omitting commonly found negative perceptions of Jews, while focusing excessively on attitudes and speech relating to Israel”.
The motion, authored by members of the university’s Jewish Staff Network, contends that the institution should instead adopt a “pluralistic approach” guided by scholarship.
However, the Jewish Council of Scotland (JCoS) says the university should not abandon the definition.
Members of the Jewish community in Scotland gather in Buchanan Street for a vigil in memory of those killed in Israel by Hamas militants. (Image: Getty)
“The Community Security Trust (CST)’s recent campus report recorded antisemitic incidents linked to the university, as well as a university-related attack in Edinburgh classified as extreme violence," the group said.
“These findings underline the need to strengthen safeguards for Jewish students and staff.”
According to the CST’s report, between five and nine antisemitic incidents were linked to the university during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years.
“IHRA recognises that legitimate criticism of Israel is not antisemitic,” the group added.
“Academic freedom and protection from antisemitism must go hand in hand. The university should retain this clear framework and ensure complaints are investigated promptly and consistently.”
According to the IHRA definition, antisemitic actions include justifying the killing of Jews “in the name of a radical ideology”, denying the fact or scope of the Holocaust, and propagating falsehoods such as a “world Jewish conspiracy”.
The IHRA definition also contends that it is antisemitic to “claim that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour” or “draw comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis”.
However, the definition clarifies that “criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”.
The UK-wide Union of Jewish Students and the University of Edinburgh Jewish Society have also expressed concerns over the motion.
“The IHRA definition is an essential protection for Jewish life on campus and calls to drop it must be rejected,” the groups told The Herald.
“The vast majority of Jewish students support the IHRA definition, which has been repeatedly and unanimously backed by Jewish students at UJS' conferences, where any Jewish student can vote.
“Jewish students should be able to define antisemitism, in line with the Macpherson principle, a core anti-racist principle. IHRA engages sensibly with the boundary between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel.
“The Senate must not pass this divisive and outrageous motion."
The Macpherson principle states that incidents of racism should be recorded as such if they are perceived as racist by the victim or complainant.
UJS’s concerns have been echoed by campaign group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), who wrote to university management about recommendations to drop the definition last year.
“Criticisms of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism have been based on misconceptions and other attempts to define antisemitism have serious flaws – see for example the analysis of one such definition by Professors Hyman and Julius,” said Johnatnna Turner, chief executive of UKLFI.
“Adopting diverging definitions of antisemitism would cause confusion and result in incompatible data sets that could not be compared or aggregated. This would impede analysis and research into antisemitism, as well as comparative monitoring that could identify situations where remedial action should be prioritised.”
However, Progressive Jews for Justice in Israel/Palestine (PJJIP) has spoken in favour of the motion.
Pro-Palestine protesters took over Edinburgh Waverley last October. (Image: NQ)
“One of the members of the Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network (SUJSN) reminded me that they have been campaigning about this for several years,” said Maurice Naftalin, co-founder of PJJIP.
“This is all in line with the principles of PJJIP, which strongly opposes antisemitism (naturally– all of our members are practising Jews) but insists that opposition to antisemitism must not be co-opted into a campaign to suppress freedom of speech on Israel/Palestine.”
Writing in the Guardian in July 2025, Professor Philip Wadler expressed support for a reexamination of the university’s antisemitism definition, on behalf of the SUJSN.
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“Many Jewish staff at the university and across Scotland reject the IHRA definition, and we have come together as the Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network,” said Professor Wadler.
“We oppose the genocide committed by Israel against Palestine and wish to do so without – as the IHRA would imply – being labelled antisemites. Not in our name.”
A university spokesperson said the institution “fully recognises this is a complex and sensitive topic”.
“Our approach to this remains part of ongoing discussion at the university, and we will continue to engage with different views and perspectives,” they said.
“We are clear that antisemitism has no place on our campus, and we are committed to addressing it comprehensively, effectively and inclusively.”