That's A Wrap!
- May 29
- 4 min read
Dear Friend,
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 due course. In preparation, I have also been looking at our impact measures for the academic year to date (September 2025 - April 2026 inclusive) and can see that our engagement continues to be high across all our metrics. This is a testament to the impact of our dedicated Chaplains - as well as the growing demand - and I cannot thank our dedicated Chaplains enough for the critical work they do every single day.
Now deep in exam season, I am in awe of our steadfast students, many of whom have dealt with challenging issues this year, yet are working hard to hit their grades ahead of the summer. In the months leading up to this, our Chaplains have been working hard liaising with universities to enable students whose exams fall on Shabbat or Yom Tov to sit these exams beforehand. Having had to undertake this task hundreds of times since we were founded over 50 years ago, our Chaplains have done a sterling job in navigating this quagmire - even facilitating quarantine for three students to ensure the integrity of the exam for the rest of the cohort.
GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT
Earlier this month I was pleased to attend a campus roundtable hosted by the Department of Education and the Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State for Skills. We addressed a number of issues of concern, including extremism and antisemitism on campus where I was able to reflect on the concerns of our Chaplains and students on campus to those present.
In the second week of May we celebrated the festival of Lag B’omer which marks several milestones throughout Jewish history. Chaplains seized the moment in Cambridge and Nottingham with bonfires and outdoor activities - which also gave students the opportunity to share their concerns and fears as they approached the crucial exam season.
And of course we have just celebrated the festival of Shavuot - the festival marking the Jews’ receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai as well as the harvesting of crops. It is said that on this momentous occasion, the Jewish people hadn’t fully received all the laws concerning kosher food, and so it is customary to eat dairy foods. In celebration, our Chaplains in Nottingham and Oxford hosted cheesecake bakes for their students - alongside full hospitality for this 2 day festival.
CAMPUS ROUNDUP
Bristol - Rabbi Asaf and Atara Forges hosted a barbecue, bonfire & encouraged the writing of farewell notes for final year students
Cambridge - Rabbi Yekutiel & Netanya Greiff welcomed students for a ‘Breakfast for dinner’ event, helping students prepare to accept the Torah on Shavuot
Lancaster - Rabbi Natan Fagleman visited this outlying campus running a Lunch ‘n’ Learn session
Leeds - Rabbi Yisroel Meir & Mindi Zobin’s weekly Lunch ‘n’ Learns were supplemented with a visit by 45 sixth formers considering studying in Leeds - in conjunction with UJS
Liverpool - Rabbi Natan Fagleman hosted the Unlock Your Future Career event, with the charity Work Avenue, as well as an end of year party
London - Rav Gav Broder hosted the last Lunch ‘n’ Learn of the academic year at Imperial as well as addressing students at the Hasmonean Boys School Futures Day for Y12
Nottingham - Rabbi Aviad & Tehila Raviv hosted a pre-Shavuot cheesecake bake
Oxford - Rabbi Moish & Tanya Blum also arranged a pre-Shavuot cheesecake bake
Scotland - Rabbi Eliran and Ayalah Shabo hosted end of year barbecues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews, led a sunrise hike to Arthur’s Seat
Just because students are leaving campus for the summer break soon, doesn’t mean that our work stops and rest assured we will use this time to plan for the year ahead. Whether you are a student, friend or family member and you would like us to consider specific events or initiatives for the year ahead, we’d love to hear from you - so just reply to this email. And of course, any students preparing for their entry to university in September, please do feel free to reach out to your soon to be Chaplains to introduce yourself in advance of the new academic year!
NOTTINGHAM - END OF TERM PARTY
NEW - Kosher Accommodation at Edinburgh University
We are thrilled to share that Edinburgh University now offers dedicated Kosher accommodation for the upcoming academic year! This is a fantastic step forward for Jewish student life on campus.
If you have a child applying for next year, they can now secure housing that supports their dietary and religious needs. Space is limited, so we highly encourage prospective students to apply as soon as possible through the university website.
Have questions about Jewish life on campus or how the Kosher housing works? Please reach out to the Chaplains!
Click here to find out more about Edinburgh Accommodation
A MUST VISIT
London is currently hosting the highly coveted and extremely moving Nova Exhibition, showcasing the horrifying testimonies, footage and artefacts of the heinous terrorist attack that launched the October 7th massacre. As such an important account of that traumatic day, I hope you will be able to visit the exhibition before it closes on 05/07/26.
Email your Chaplain to secure FREE tickets.
If you or someone you know would like to be in touch with the Chaplains in any of our regions, you can find their contact details on the Chaplaincy website.
With very best wishes for the summer,
Sophie Dunoff, CEO
