Pro Israel group raises £750,000 to fight campus antisemitism

An Israel education charity has raised £750,000 for a project that aims to teach British students about combatting antisemitism on campuses across the country.

The charity, StandWithUs UK, raised £750,000 in the crowdfunding campaign this week. Its initial target was £450,000.

It says its mission is not only to fight hatred against Jews but educate people about Israel.

Lana Saffrin Betesh, co-chair of StandWithUs UK, said the community had “truly rallied” around the cause.

“We’ve been overwhelmed – not just with generosity but with stories from students and parents of the difference StandWithUs is making and the support they need,” she said.

“We have our work cut out to deliver even more programmes to more campuses across the UK, but now, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we can make a tremendous impact.”

Her colleague Sara Sherrard, the charity’s executive director, said the funds would help address Jew-hate on campus: “This antisemitism, often thinly masked as anti-Israel activity, should not need to be part of British-Jewish students’ campus experience.

“Now we will be in a position to support these students in a much more significant way. We realise the community is trusting us to deliver and we take that responsibility very seriously.”

• To contribute to the campaign, visit www.charityextra.com/standwithusuk