UK Jewish Arts Foundation launches
New organisation aims for funding and support for Jewish arts organisations and creatives
Some good news for UK’s Jewish creatives this week, as they reel from hearing that a major Jewish donor to the arts has resigned her positions because of ‘the alarming rise of antisemitism’ and the ‘tacit normalisation of hate’, and that the Tate gallery is being urged by its latest Turner Prize winner, and hundreds of others, to remove art purchased by Jewish- not Israeli- donors.
The welcome news is the announcement of the launch of the UK Jewish Arts Foundation, aimed specifically to raise greater funding and support for Jewish arts organisations and creatives.
“Think of it like a Jewish Arts Council England,” explained its co-founder Alastair Falk, “but the difference is that we are here specifically for Jewish creatives.
Falk is the founder of Tsitsit the Jewish fringe festival and the idea for a Jewish Arts Fund came to him a while back. The concept has been shaped further by input from some key individuals such as actor and director and former Director of the National Youth Theatre, Tania Black.
Originally planned to launch late 2025, the situation post-October 7, and this week’s news about Candida Gertler’s resignations, and the boycott being urged on the Tate, makes it all the more urgent.
So what is Falk and Black’s vision for the UK Jewish Arts Foundation and how will it work?
“The idea is to bring donors together to raise money for supporting existing and new Jewish arts organisations and initiatives. Our three main aims will be firstly to provide a foundation to which organisations will be able to apply to match fund money they raise for new and innovative work.
“Secondly individuals will be helped to access pathways into the creative industries and new pathways will be built starting in schools, and thirdly the Jewish arts community will have its importance raised within the community and with a broader UK audience through support for sharing Jewish work as widely as possible.”
The Foundation is now looking to enlist a core group of people that want to support the 21st century Jewish cultural renaissance and make Jewish creatives feel confident and able to express and develop innovative new work.
Can it succeed? Falk is optimistic. “Jewish donors are incredibly generous to the arts in general—just look at donor boards at major institutions. If even 10% of that funding could be directed to Jewish arts, it would be transformative. And there is great work already happening to bring all the Jewish cultural organisations together and to put their wisdom and experience at the heart of future developments.
“This week’s news underwrites that this exactly the time for raising funds for Jewish creatives and building back Jewish confidence and creativity across the UK.”
For updates and more information and to stay connected to developments and register interest at ukjewishartsfoundation.co.uk/
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