University College London has cut its dedicated antisemitism support role

University College London (UCL) has discontinued a role focused on providing antisemitism training and support across the instituion.

The Antisemitism Programme Manager position was established in November 2022 and was held throughout its existence by Anthony Orkin. According to the source, it was the first dedicated antisemitism-focused position at a UK university.

The source told the Jerusalem Post the position played a role in responding to a reported increase in antisemitism cases submitted through UCL’s Report and Support system following the events of 7th October 2023, when the war started between Israel and Gaza.

The source explained the role involved responding to incidents, concerns and requests for support from members of the university community.

During his tenure, Anthony provided confidential support sessions for Jewish students and staff, delivered antisemitism awareness and training sessions to more than 2,400 students, staff and external stakeholders, and coordinated Community Security Trust (CST) antisemitism training for senior UCL security staff in April 2025.

In May 2025, Anthony delivered an antisemitism awareness session to UCL’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Community of Practice. Participants gave the session an average feedback score of 4.75 out of five.

“The importance of this role at this moment cannot be overstated,” the source said. “Jewish students and staff at UCL need dedicated expert support at the most difficult time for the community in recent memory.”

Author, influencer and UCL student, Dov Forman, criticised the decision, saying: “Anthony is one of the few things they were genuinely getting right. I have no doubt that Jewish students will be worse off at UCL and will feel his departure immediately.”

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Dov added: “So many of my friends didn’t speak to anyone except Anthony about the antisemitism they faced, because they knew that anywhere else and with anyone else at the university, they’d be met with skepticism, bureaucracy, and resistance. He was the trusted expert they had confidence in and could turn to.

“The demand for his expertise has, unfortunately, been overwhelming and, sadly, for good reason. UCL talks a good game on antisemitism, but when it comes to action, it has too often been lackluster.”

Responsibility for handling antisemitism-related complaints will now fall within UCL’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, overseen by Addeel Khan.

A UCL spokesperson said: “We are strengthening our commitment to tackling antisemitism across the university by embedding this work more deeply across all areas of institutional activity.

“This builds on the programme of work delivered through our 2021 antisemitism action plan, including the fixed-term Antisemitism Programme Manager role, which has now concluded.

“As the context of antisemitism in the UK has evolved, we are moving to a broader, more integrated approach – including establishing a new senior expert group and expanding support for Jewish students and staff. This represents a step change in our strategy: moving from addressing issues in isolation to embedding expertise, accountability and community engagement across the institution.

“Our commitment remains clear: We will continue to strengthen and expand this work so that Jewish members of our community feel safe, supported and able to thrive at UCL.”

Featured image via Unsplash