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3,100 Jewish Students Attend British Universities; Increase Noted

September 28, 1955
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There are some 3,100 Jewish students attending courses at British universities leading to diplomas and degrees, it was established by the Inter-University Jewish Federation in a survey carried out during the academic year of 1954-55 The study, which was aided by the cultural department of the World Jewish Congress, estimated that the Jewish students amounted to 2.8 percent of the total student body in Britain.

Querying Jewish students on their attitudes toward various problems, the survey established that 17 percent of them believe it “quite likely” that they will marry non-Jews, while another 36 percent believe that intermarriage for them is “possible but unlikely.” The study found that Jewish university societies are popular and play a positive role in preserving Jewish values and Jewish consciousness.

The Jewish student body is about three times as large proportionately as the Jewish population in relation to the general population of Britain, which is about one percent. The number of Jewish students has increased since the last such survey was carried out in 1949-50, although the general student body has declined in numbers. The favorite academic fields of Jews are medicine, law, dentistry and social work, the study found.

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