StandWithUs UK honours Lord Austin with Beacon of Light award

A leading educational charity has honoured Lord Ian Austin for his support for the Jewish state.

StandWithUs UK recognised the peer with the ‘Beacon of Light’ award at a private reception hosted by the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely,

In his speech, Austin acknowledged that, “because of some of the appalling things we see on campuses, the work StandWithUs do has never been more important. Your work with StandWithUs equips you with the arguments and skills you need to tell the truth about the world’s only Jewish state and the Middle East’s only democracy’.

Gathered at the reception were close friends, as well as students of the charity who were recognised for their activism on campuses across the UK.

Hotovely told the students that their activism stems from “telling Israel’s story”. She commented that people often debate what it means for Israel to be a Jewish state, but we mustn’t forget that, “being a democracy is what it means to be Jewish and we must be proud of it”.

The evening was part of a full day conference for 20 student representatives of the Emerson Fellowship, an annual student leadership programme which empowers and inspires student leaders at universities throughout the United Kingdom.