"If you make the decision that you're going to be more Jewish, not less, you will, together, change the course of Jewish history."
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks זצ”ל, Founding Life President
University Jewish Chaplaincy offers vital support to 8500+ Jewish students at over 100 universities in 13 UK regions.
Now, more than ever, Chaplains are supporting students on the frontline, as they deal with all the challenges that come along with student life – such as loneliness, anxiety, ongoing incidents of antisemitism and intimidating anti-Israel activism. Ensuring that Jewish support and provision continues across the UK is vital to the wellbeing of our students.
Over the past year, UJC has had a huge impact on the lives of Jewish students at UK universities, with students having accessed Chaplaincy services 24,134 times. Chaplains have served more than 6000 meals, spent over 1261 hours assisting students with different mental health concerns, supported over 100 students with incidents of antisemitism and have driven over 26,504 miles across the UK to ensure that even those on outlying campuses receive support.
University Jewish Chaplaincy is proud to:
- Protect and promote a safe and happy Jewish life for every Jewish student
- Empower and inspire student-led activism and programming
- Provide Jewish students – on whichever campus – access to a UJC chaplain
- Deliver ongoing, non-judgemental welfare and pastoral care to all Jewish students
- Offer a ‘home-away-from-home’ for all Jewish students
University Jewish Chaplaincy relies entirely on support from parents, grandparents and others who care passionately about Jewish students in the UK and their future.
Please support University Jewish Chaplaincy, the people who support your children and grandchildren through their student years.
Campus life can be tough for Jewish students. Here's how
"Wherever you look, between one in two and two in three young Jews is walking away from Judaism and that hurts."
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
"Student years are among the most challenging for young Jews. It’s often the first time they’re away from home meeting people and ideas that are unfamiliar. It’s unnerving, it’s challenging, it’s threatening, especially today with the amount of anti-Israel activity on campus".
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
"The future of Jewish life in the UK will be decided on campus during Jewish students’ formative years."
Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski, Chief Strategist and Rabbinic Head
HEre's The Solution
- Enabling Jewish students to actively affiliate withJudaism and positively participate in their university years means they are much more likely to remain within their community as adults.
- Keeping Jewish students connected to their Judaism while at university is a key contributor to boosting rates of Jewish engagement and marriage.
- Facilitating Jewish life of every type on campus empowers the broadest range of Jewish students to engage with their Judaism and fosters the next generation of leaders for British Jewry.
We are University Jewish Chaplaincy
We are the only organisation on campuses across the UK that:
Protects and promotes Jewish life for every Jewish student
As official representatives to universities under the auspices of the Chief Rabbi, our chaplains hold staff privileges that grant them access to the highest levels of senior management leadership on campus. This ensures they can respond effectively to freedom of religion issues, such as exam clashes, and swiftly intervene when Jewish students confront hostility.
Empowers and inspires JSocs and other peer-led Jewish student activities.
Encouraging Jewish students to take ownership of their Jewish lives and strengthening and resourcing JSocs is core to UJC’s mission. By supporting and complementing, not replacing, peer-led Jewish student activities, we empower students to internalise Jewish life and values as they mature, fostering Jewish independence and growing the next generation of British-Jewish leaders.
Provides Jewish students - wherever they may be at university - access to a UJC Chaplain.
Our full-time residential chaplaincy couples serve the largest Jewish campuses in England and Scotland and together with a team of dedicated part-timers, they also serve scores of other campuses with smaller Jewish student populations. We try our best to ensure that every student has access to Jewish provision and support delivered by a UJC Chaplain.
Deliver ongoing, non-judgemental welfare and pastoral care to all Jewish students.
We are there on campus for Jewish students of every background, any affiliation and none, to provide a listening ear, welfare support in a moment of crisis, support through rough times and, where appropriate, to sign-post and refer. With over 50 years’ experience on campus, we are acutely aware of the struggles and challenges Jewish students face as they adapt to life away from home for the first time and transition into adulthood.
Offers a ‘home-away-from-home’ for all Jewish students.
We want all Jewish students to feel comfortable engaging in every aspect of university life. Our chaplains’ homes are warm, welcoming spaces in which Jewish students can maintain and develop their connection to their faith and heritage, meet other Jews and extend their networks and friendship circles.
we need you
University Jewish Chaplaincy relies entirely on support from parents, grandparents and others who care passionately about Jewish students in the UK and their future.
Only you can ensure we can continue our invaluable work, as we receive no funding from the government or official grant-making agency.
"Please support the people who support our young people through their challenging student years, turning them into young Jews of whom we can all be proud
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
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Parents
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