The new Tikvah Scholarships at St Anne’s College – funded by non-Jewish charity LUCK – send a powerful message to Jews and Israelis: you belong here and you are wanted. Other universities must also grasp this opportunity
August 19, 2025 11:04
Antisemitism on British university campuses is overt, unrelenting, and all too often accepted. Jewish academics and students face not just prejudice, but a culture of intimidation that seeks to render them invisible unless they disavow a core part of their identity. What was once the fringe is now endemic. And what was once whispered is now screeched in lecture halls, seminar rooms, and student common areas.
In the months since October 7, we have seen student unions and university authorities refuse to condemn the atrocities. Israel societies have been prevented from holding events. Posters of kidnapped civilians have been ripped down. Jewish students who dare to express pride in their heritage or support for Israel find themselves socially ostracised, academically marginalised, or worse. This is not the principled exercise of free speech. It is the weaponisation of it – used to silence, vilify, and exclude.
At the heart of this crisis is the failure of university leadership. In too many cases, institutions charged with defending intellectual freedom have capitulated to ideological groupthink. “Zionist” is used as a slur. “From the river to the sea” is chanted with impunity. Meanwhile, Jewish students are left to explain, defend, and justify their right to belong.
This is the bleak reality in which Jewish students are forced to study. It is, however, not something we can accept. Change does not always begin with sweeping institutional reform. Sometimes it begins with a single, principled act. The new Tikvah Scholarships at St Anne’s College, Oxford, is one such act.
Tikvah means hope in Hebrew. But these scholarships represent more than hope. They are a declaration: that talented Jewish and Israeli students deserve to study at one of the world’s greatest universities without having to hide who they are. This is a message: that being Jewish, Zionist, intellectually curious, and academically excellent are not mutually exclusive. And they are a challenge to other colleges and universities to consider introducing something similar in their own institutions.
Notably, the scholarships are being funded not by a Jewish organisation, but by the Leg Up Charity for Kids (LUCK) – a non-denominational charitable organisation whose mission is to tackle educational disadvantage. Its previous grants have focused on supporting working-class English children in some of the North of England’s poorest postcodes. That it now sees Jewishness and Israeli nationality as characteristics requiring targeted support is both a damning indictment of the current campus climate and a powerful symbol of solidarity. It is a sign of the times. But also, unmistakably, a glimmer of hope.
It is fitting that St Anne’s College has been selected as the first institution in the UK to offer a scholarship of this kind. Jewish philanthropy has long played a vital role in shaping the college itself. The college’s Deech, Rayne, and Wolfson buildings – named after distinguished former Principal, Baroness Deech, and prominent Jewish donors – stand as enduring monuments to Jewish contribution to education, tolerance, and public life. These scholarships extend that legacy from bricks and mortar to opportunity.
The current Principal of St Anne’s, Helen King QPM, should be congratulated for her leadership and moral clarity. As a former Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police and chair of the university’s security subcommittee, perhaps she understands all too well some of the forces that Jewish students must contend with. After the St Anne’s student body published misleading anti-Israel statements on social media, over seventy alumni wrote in to complain to the College. Principal King’s subsequent decision – to partner with the Leg Up Charity for Kids and to support the Tikvah Scholarships – is a testament to her commitment to safeguarding inclusion, safety, and intellectual integrity. Every university ought to uphold that.
As a graduate of the University of Oxford myself, I have seen both the best and worst of academic culture. In December last year, I spoke at the Oxford Union against the motion that “This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide.” It was one of the most hostile, and antagonistic events in the history of the Union. Opposition speakers were shouted down, vilified, and in one case, ejected from the chamber, while the other side praised the Hamas atrocities of October 7. The motion passed by a margin of 278 to 59 – a sobering reflection of where Oxford student sentiment lies. The experience underscored not only how emboldened antisemitic discourse has become, but also how essential it is that Jewish voices remain present, articulate, and unafraid.
The Tikvah Scholarships have a dual mission. They offer practical support to students who may be deterred by the financial or cultural costs of attending Oxford. They also serve a symbolic purpose of asserting that Jewish students do not need to conform or recede to be accepted. On the contrary they can, and should, be visible, proud, and present.
There is still much to do. The challenge of campus antisemitism is deep-rooted. But the Tikvah Scholarships are a meaningful beginning and a model of how leadership, generosity, and moral clarity can work together to reclaim space for Jewish dignity.
To Jewish students in this institution at least, the message is clear: You do belong here and you are wanted. Other universities must also grasp this opportunity.
Natasha Hausdorff is a barrister at Six Pump Court. She serves as legal director of UKLFI Charitable Trust. After her law degree at Oxford University and an LL.M. specialising in public international law, Natasha clerked for the President of the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem. In 2018, as a Pegasus Scholar, Natasha was a Fellow at Columbia Law School in the National Security Law Program. She lectures globally on aspects of public international law and national security policy
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