Amid growing anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hostilities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Canadian-Israeli LGBT activist and celebrity designer Shai DeLuca-Tamasi toured campuses throughout the British Isles to embolden pro-Israel students.
DeLuca-Tamasi, a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces, left a lasting impression on students at each stop of his tour, organized by CAMERA on Campus UK, speaking at the University of Birmingham, the University of Glasgow, Nottingham University, University College London and Maynooth University.
“When he stood up to all of the threats he received as an Israeli presenter on North American television during ‘Operation Protective Edge,’ he showed students the importance of standing up for their identities on campus, no matter how hard it may get,” said Tamara Berens, U.K. Associate for CAMERA on Campus.
Difficulties for pro-Israel students show no sign of easing. For example, students at King’s College London, who invited Israeli Ambassador to the U.K. Mark Regev to speak on Nov. 13, had to minimize their audience size to 20 attendees as the occasion seemed to be “controversial,” according to the KCL student union.
KCLSU protested the event by including a banner remembering 19 terrorists killed in Gaza.
Nonetheless, DeLuca-Tamasi’s tour motivated students not only in the pro-Israel sphere.
“Incredibly, the majority of the attendees present were not even pro-Israel; they were fueled by the curiosity which has led mankind to some of our greatest achievements,” said Maynooth University CAMERA Fellow Daniel O’Dowd.
