In the run up to this year's Sam Zuckerburg Israeli scholarship lecture at Oxford Brookes, Rebecca Abrams looks at the transformational role of the scheme

Back in 2010, Jewish students at Oxford Brookes University were increasingly uncomfortable with the hostile atmosphere they were encountering, particularly in relation to Israel in the wake of the latest conflict in Gaza. One undergraduate even left the university because of it. To address the problem, concerned members of the Oxford Jewish community formed a working group and the bold solution they came up with was to inaugurate an annual scholarship at Brookes for an Israeli post-graduate student from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).

According to Sandra Dwek, who played a vital role in developing the initiative with colleagues at BGU, a big part of the problem was down to ignorance. "When we first came up with the idea," she recalls, "there was little appetite at Brookes to discover the reality of life in Israel or to understand how much anti-Israel sentiment and prejudice dominated the culture on campus. Our aim was to combat this by providing opportunities to present Israel more positively and encourage Israel-Arab dialogue."

Now in its 11th year, the Sam Zuckerburg Scholarship (named after a generous donation from his son Roy, which fully funded the post for five years) has proved nothing short of transformational for Brookes and scholars alike. Elad Almog, the first of the Israeli scholars, who arrived in Oxford in 2012 to study for a Masters in International Hotel and Tourism Management and is now an academic at BGU, found the experience "life-changing".

"All of a sudden I was meeting people from all over the world. It was really incredible," he explains. "It made me understand Israel from a new perspective and really think about what it is to be an Israeli." At the same time Almog, who was then in his late-20s, became aware of how little the other students knew about Israel. "Most had never met an Israeli before. As we got to know each other, the remarks came out and it became clear they had all sorts of negative stereotypes and preconceptions about Israel and Jews."

He quickly realised that, alongside his studies, he could play an important part in enhancing understanding of Israel at Brookes by becoming a student representative and getting as involved as possible in campus life. "It was an absolute necessity to break through the misconceptions so many people held about Israel. Some of them really believed Jews were running the world."

One of the Palestinian students mimed pointing a gun at him and said “One day I'm gonna kill you!” Almog saw this as an opportunity to connect. “I said I was sorry for what had happened to him and I told him: 'I am not your memories’.” The two are now good friends.

This ambassadorial role is now an explicit part of the scheme, with scholars engaging actively with both the student body at Brookes and the local Jewish community. This has led to far more informed and constructive discussions about issues affecting Jewish students on campus and has strengthened the relationship between the local Jewish community and the university.

For the scholars themselves, living and studying on a UK campus and being involved with the Oxford Jewish community has been hugely beneficial for both their educational opportunities and life skills. "The interaction with people from different cultures and religions from all over the world directly impacted my role today," says Anya Shani, who studied Business Management at Brookes and is now Director of Culture and Events at the Jerusalem International YMCA. Auren Renford, the most recent scholar, agrees, even though his year at Brookes was cut short by the pandemic. "I could not have afforded to live and study in the UK," he says. "It was a dream and without the scholarship it would have stayed a dream. The scholarship changed my life." And for Bedouin scholar Yasmin Haj Amer, who studied English Teaching as a Foreign Language, being part of a community in which women were able to talk freely about their ideas and opinions was so inspiring she returned home determined to "convince other Bedouin girls to fight for their right to study at university".

The benefits of the scholarships work both ways, too. Brookes has enjoyed greatly improved relations between students from different backgrounds as a direct result of the scheme, as well as much stronger links with the local Jewish community. "It has proved a revelation to many fellow students and faculty members to discover how 'normal' our BGU graduates are," says Dwek. In addition, the scholarship has raised the profile and prestige of Brookes within Israel and led to new networking opportunities thanks to the active links it has with BGU.

For the past three years, encouraged by the success of the scholarships, Brookes has hosted an annual public lecture about Israel and its place in the world, attracting a diverse audience from across the city and beyond. This year's, entitled Israel: Tikkun Olam – Healing the World Through Education and Science, takes place on 27 October via Zoom and will be given by the distinguished biochemist Professor Raymond Dwek CBE FRS.

The group who founded the Sam Zuckerburg Scholarship is justifiably proud of everything the scheme has achieved and hopes that its resounding success will provide a catalyst for similar scholarships in other UK universities and abroad. "Israeli and Jewish culture can now hold its own at Brookes," says Dwek. "The scholarship has enhanced Israel's profile on campus and is a wonderful model for how to break down barriers and combat prejudice."

By Rebecca Abrams

The 2021 Sam Zuckerburg Scholarship lecture takes place Wednesday 27 October. 6-7pm. FREE. ONLINE. tiny.cc/OBU-Israel-lecture2021

Funding is still required to enable the scholarship to proceed each year. If you’d like to donate, please visit brookesalumni.co.uk/isf