A Jewish student accommodation centre in Birmingham has applied for planning permission to increase security in response to a “huge surge” in antisemitism.
Hillel House in Edgbaston, which houses Jewish students from the University of Birmingham, is seeking council approval to install a 1.8-metre-high perimeter fence and security gates.
The application cites “the recent huge surge in antisemitism which has arisen in university campuses”, adding that the proposed additions would “provide additional security to the students”.
Ruth Jacobs, who has managed Hillel House for 46 years, said the move followed a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents nationally, including an attack on Leeds Hillel House last February. That incident saw red graffiti bearing the words “Free Palestine” sprayed on the building, prompting a police investigation and alarm among Jewish campus leaders.
In another incident last year, Jewish students at the University of Birmingham expressed fear after activists unfurled a banner reading “Zionists off our campus”.
Jacobs said the rise in antisemitism since the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent Gaza war had made “maintaining security” a top priority at Hillel House.
Referring to the proposed fence, she said: “It is a good thing to do given the security situation and concerns about external organisations regarding Jewish student accommodation.”
While students currently feel “reasonably safe” within the Jewish environment of the house, Jacobs added, “If you’ve got a gate and a fence, that has got to help you feel less threatened and more at ease.”
She also voiced concern about wider safety issues in Birmingham, saying the city had become increasingly unsafe in recent years.
“The rate of crime is so high. We're a secure building, [but] people seem to be able to do all sorts of terrible things without much effort,” she said.
Jacobs said the accommodation – home to 36 students and host to regular events with the university’s Jewish Society (JSoc) – is the largest Hillel House in the country.
“There was a Purim party and nearly 400 students came. It is a well-used venue. As far as the students are concerned, quite a lot like the idea of living in an environment with other Jewish students where they feel reasonably safe,” she said.
Planning documents show the proposed fence and gate outside the building in a leafy part of the suburb will be positioned within the property boundary and not visible from the street.
Jacobs said she hopes the security upgrade will be completed by next term and that they are currently awaiting council approval.
Birmingham City Council, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023, is responsible for assessing the application.
