Rugby squad 'need Auschwitz visit'

Rugby squad 'need Auschwitz visit'

Oxford Mail, Saturday 13th December 2008

Oxford University students accused of dressing up as orthodox Jews should go to former concentration camp Auschwitz to see the results of anti-Semitism, an Oxford rabbi has said.

Members of Oxford University’s under-21 rugby squad, above, have been ordered to go on a cultural diversity seminar following an investigation into two parties hosted by members of the club.

At one party, members were allegedly asked to wear traditional Jewish dress and bring an attractive Jewish date, while at another several students ‘blacked-up’ for a Safari Bop in Jericho.

But while Rabbi Eli Brackman, who serves the city’s Jewish community, welcomed the measures taken by the university, he said they did not go far enough.

He said: “I think Oxford University is quite correct in educating people about this because ignorance is the big threat here. I support what the university is doing and the measures they are taking.

“However, not only should they visit the Jewish community in Oxford, but they also need to learn about anti-Semitism and the effect it has had, not just on Jewish people, but also the world.

“They should really visit Auschwitz and see history with their own eyes, that is the only way they could be educated.”

Rabbi Brackman described the students’ behaviour as appalling.

University proctors launched an investigation after complaints were received about the two parties, both of which took place in November, and have put together the seminar specifically for the students involved.