NEWS

Summer has well and truly arrived, and with it begins a period of reflection for the entire UJC team. First, I want to take this moment to thank the many students who completed our biennial survey of Jewish student life. This initiative gives us rich insight into students' reflections on UJC’s activities over the past academic year as well as their worries, concerns and wants for the year ahead - and I look forward to analysing the data and sharing our findings with you in du

Like many of the newsletters I have penned to you over the last couple of years, balancing good news and positive stories is contrasted with the alarming threats that our Jewish community have had to once again face.

After what seems like the longest and greyest winter on record, it feels like we have finally (hopefully) turned a corner - in London anyway. However, I know that we are all carrying the weight of the situation in Israel and the wider region very heavily. As we look towards Pesach, the upcoming story of the Exodus reminds us that even the longest nights lead toward the dawn. We pray for the safety of all those who are seeking shelter and for a much-needed period of calm and s

It truly feels like an age ago that I shared our last newsletter with you and so much has happened since then. First, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone once again for your generous support of our recent fundraising campaign - “Our Campus Too”. From the Chaplaincy Champions, to donors and matchers, your belief in our cause is a huge comfort and inspires us to deliver our critical work supporting Jewish students each and every day.

Dear Friend, I am overjoyed to share that, through the unwavering support of our donors and supporters, together with our generous matched funders, we have raised a staggering £921,511 for this year’s matched fundraising campaign, Our Campus Too! The result is a testament to the strength of our community and a clear recognition of the importance of Chaplaincy in today's world. It is a collective statement of support for the next generation of our community. On behalf of o

Dear Friend, The winter term is always the busiest of the year, with many second and third year students sitting exams before returning home for the winter break. From providing one-to-one support to Jewish students in more remote parts of the UK to cross-campus events for hundreds of students across their region, our Chaplains have been relentless in their mission to provide critical support, connection and moments of inspiration for Jewish students across the country. I am

Last week, we saw the ‘Blood libel’ - one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in history - shared by a lecturer on campus at UCL. Sadly, this is only one abominable case of this nature. We could also tell you about the student whose mezuzah was ripped off her doorpost on Yom Kippur. Or the fresher who had to move out of their university accommodation due to anti-Jewish hate from their flatmates. This cannot be the new normal.

Approximately one month into both the new academic and Jewish year, and it's fair to say that our Chaplains have hit the ground running. As many of the Freshers' Fairs clashed with the Jewish holidays, Chaplains organised a range of welcome events for this new cohort of Jewish students, alongside their other programmes for the High Holiday period. Taking advantage of the mild weather across much of the country, Chaplains were able to welcome students.

Dear Friend, A-level Results Day can bring a lot of nerves and uncertainty, but it's important to remember that exam results do not define a future and that there are now numerous pathways to careers, that didn't exist before. We're sending our best wishes and encouragement to all students receiving their results tomorrow - no matter the outcome, there are many paths to success. For students planning to continue on to higher education, it's worth remembering that wherever the

The following email was sent out to all subscribers on 20-06-25 Dear Friend, As is usual this term, exam season consumes much of...

The following email was sent out to all subscribers on 08-05-25 Dear Friend, Since our last newsletter, both the clocks and the seasons...

Dear Friend, March has been another busy month for the UJC team. After many months of planning, we ran our crucial ‘Strengthen our Students’ fundraising campaign between 5th - 6th March, where the value of every single donation was doubled by our generous matched funders. Supported by over 2,900 individual donations from students, families, alumni and supporters of Chaplaincy - and with the help of some national news coverage - we are privileged to have raised over £800,000

Dear Friend, Well rested after the winter break, Jewish students returned to campus in January, many of whom have been sitting exams. As such Chaplains have been supporting students through their assessments, especially those who have had unfortunate exam clashes with Shabbat. Moreover, they are also busy creating a broad and diverse range of social and educational events that create spaces for Jewish students to meet, learn and celebrate their Jewish identities. In fact, thi

Just as the Maccabees came together to show unrivalled strength and resilience to overcome adversity, over this term UJC’s Chaplains and Jewish students have come together, to prove that the light of Jewish joy continues to burn bright on campuses across the UK and will not be extinguished. Whilst the worst threats and hostilities experienced by students in the 2023-24 academic year have not been matched this term, some threats sadly still remain.

With the high holiday season behind us and the clocks having changed, winter is definitely here and our Chaplains and Chaplaincy Couples have been working hard to deliver a broad range of social, educational, religious and wellbeing programmes that engage Jewish students during both the short days and long nights. Through diverse and varied programmes, these initiatives aim to offer something fun and captivating for all Jewish students, irrespective of denominational or polit

As October comes to an end, so too concludes the end of a jam packed High Holiday season with the festival of Simchat Torah, which marks one year in the Jewish calendar since the horrific massacre in southern Israel on October 7th, 2023. Across the country, Jewish students have been participating in events to mark this first anniversary.

Here we are, welcoming students both fresh and returning back for a new academic year after a much-needed summer break and some time to reflect on the hundreds of submissions to our bi-annual student survey. The final term of the last academic year was particularly troubling and students were not shy in sharing their stresses with us, in this first national Jewish student survey since the tragic and horrific events of October 7th.

As we come to the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your unwavering support of University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC). This year has been marked by extraordinary challenges and significant achievements, and your commitment has been a beacon of hope for Jewish students across UK campuses.

Dear Friend, This morning, I had the privilege of attending a crucial meeting with the Prime Minister, government Ministers, vice-chancellors from distinguished universities, UJS and CST, regarding the appalling situation that Jewish students are facing on campuses up and down the country. Vice-chancellors were given the opportunity to describe the steps they are taking to protect Jewish students from intimidation and antisemitism. The Secretary of State for Education togeth

Dear Friend, As the second term draws to a close and we prepare for the final term on campus I wanted to share some highlights from our Purim celebrations on campus, an update on our Pesach preparations and heartfelt thanks for the support we have received from you all over this difficult period. Our Purim celebrations were nothing short of spectacular and truly captured the essence of our students’ resilience and spirit. In Edinburgh, an impressive turnout of 95 students se

I hope this message finds you well despite the ongoing and difficult news from Israel and the UK. I am writing after a week of distressing developments on campus and indeed across the country, to update you on the actions being taken in response to these antisemitic incidents affecting our whole community. Last Thursday our Chaplaincy couple in Leeds, Rabbi Zecharia and Nava Deutsch, were subjected to a campaign of abusive calls including threats to their life after Rabbi De