UK announces £7 million to tackle antisemitism in schools, universities

The UK is set to spend £7 million on tackling antisemitism in education, the Department for Education confirmed on Monday.

Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson announced that the government would resume its funding in order to combat anti-Jewish hatred in schools and universities.

This comes after the number of antisemitic incidents in the UK doubled in the first half of 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023.

At universities, the figure was much greater, with the government reporting a 465% increase in antisemitic abuse on campuses.

As a result, £500,000 of the £7 million in funding will be given to the University Jewish Chaplaincy so that it can continue to support Jewish university students.

Phillipson, in an article in The Telegraph on Monday, said it was “completely unacceptable for Jewish students to feel they cannot fully participate in university life out of fear for their safety.”

The Department of Education added that the funding will be used to educate people on antisemitism and train schools on how to rid it from their spaces.

The secretary of state also announced the launch of a new governmental effort to upskill teachers and university staff to tackle antisemitism, according to her piece in The Telegraph.

The department also said it would be carrying out a curriculum and assessment review.

The funding was announced on October 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel in which more than a thousand civilians were murdered and/or kidnapped.

To mark the event, Phillipson visited a Jewish school in north London to meet students and demonstrate her support for the Jewish community, the statement added.

On her X/Twitter account, she wrote about the “unacceptable rise in antisemitism,” adding that the UK Labour Party remains “resolutely committed to tackling antisemitic abuse in Britain, as we did in our party, root and branch.”

Antisemitism in the Labour Party

She refers here to the efforts of the Labour Party to stamp out antisemitism following the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who had a well-recorded history of antisemitism and ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas.

Phillipson concluded by saying that the efforts to root out antisemitism and educate children on how to stop it would also help tackle Islamophobia.

“With a foundation of knowledge about history and the world, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and empathy, we can build children’s resilience not just to antisemitic hate, but all other forms of hate, too. A child who is equipped to dismantle antisemitic conspiracy theories is ready to reject Islamophobic ones as well.”