From Purim Parties to National Headlines - March Highlights Inside!

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 in matched funds. We are so grateful and humbled by the support the community has given us.

On behalf of our Chaplains, staff, trustees - and of course - 9,000+ Jewish students across the country from Aberdeen to Exter, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who generously supported our campaign. This support will ensure that our vital provision for Jewish students can continue through 2025 - we simply couldn’t do our critical work without your unwavering support - THANK YOU!

Chaplaincy in the News

The support our Chaplains give to Jewish students was noted in both the House of Lords and on ITV's Good Morning Britain. We are humbled to have got such national recognition and you can view both short clips (2.5 mins in total) by clicking here or the image below.

Impact Report

In all of our conversations with journalists, much interest was shown in the results of our student survey conducted in August - the first national survey at the time to capture Jewish students’ sentiments following the tragic events of October 7th 2023. With 89% of Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism in the 2023-24 academic year and 41% of concerned about returning to university at the start of this academic year, the headline statistics make for distressing reading.

Conversely, this trauma has brought students together and our Chaplains were there on the front line supporting students on and off campus, both helping them challenge antisemitism and creating safe spaces where Jewish students can celebrate their Jewish identity and practice their faith. We recorded over 34,000 student interactions last year, an increase of over 7,000 versus the previous year. We have pulled our key survey findings together into a concise report which makes compelling reading - click here or the image below to view a PDF of the report.

CAMPUS ROUNDUP:

The festival of Purim - celebrating the successful defeat of the threat to eradicate the Jewish people from ancient Persia - also fell in March and Jewish students across the country came together for what is often regarded as the most fun festival in the Jewish calendar. Some of the highlights included:

• Nottingham – A Purim party as well as both a women's + mixed megillah reading attracted over 300 students

• West Midlands – Warwick hosted a party and megillah reading; a Friday night dinner which brought together 160+ students

• London – A Purim  party at a pub brought together over 200 students from across multiple London universities

• North West – Rabbi Natan visited Lancaster and distributed Hamantaschen (Purim delicacies) to the student community there

• Bristol – Students baked Hamentashen together, attended a Purim seudah (lunch) and enjoyed a regional megillah reading together

• Oxford – Welcomed 35 students for a megillah reading and 55 for a party

• Scotland – Students in St. Andrews enjoyed a Purim bagel lunch where they baked Hamantaschen. In Edinburgh, a pub night with a megillah reading and dinner attracted over 50 students

• North East – A megillah reading and party in Durham was enjoyed by students

As we say goodbye to winter, spring beckons and we start to prepare in earnest for Pesach. Despite this festival falling outside of term time this year, some students will remain on campus and our Chaplains will host them for sedarim and festive meals throughout the period. If you (or a student you know) still needs somewhere to go for seder, please contact your regional Chaplain.

Chag Kasher VeSameach,

Sophie Dunoff, Chief Executive Officer