Jump to content

European Union of Jewish Students: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Monkbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
3,695,952 edits
m Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 5 templates: hyphenate params (5×);
 
(27 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{multiple issues|
{{more footnotes|date=July 2012}}
{{primary sources|date=July 2012}}
{{POV|date=February 2014}}
}}

The '''European Union of Jewish Students''' (EUJS) is an umbrella organization for 34 national [[Jews|Jewish]] [[Students' union|student unions]] in [[Europe]] and the [[Post-Soviet states]], representing over 200,000 Jewish [[student]]s. Cognizant of the religious, linguistic and cultural diversity that make up the European Jewish community, EUJS strives to present a variety of perspectives through its leadership training programs, educational seminars, and international conferences, all tailor-made to the needs of its students. Throughout its history, EUJS has placed itself at the cutting edge of inter-cultural and inter-religious programming, as well as programming related to [[genocide education]], advocacy, and Jewish continuity in Europe.

[[File:Logo EUJS.png|thumb|European Union of Jewish Students]]
[[File:Logo EUJS.png|thumb|European Union of Jewish Students]]


'''The European Union of Jewish Students''' (EUJS) is a Jewish, Zionist, pluralistic, inclusive and non-partisan umbrella organisation. EUJS supports Jewish student unions throughout Europe and represents its members to European institutions, the OSCE, the UNHRC, as well as to other major Jewish and non-Jewish organisations. Founded in 1978, EUJS currently has 36 member organisations, spanning from Russia to Scandinavia to the United Kingdom. EUJS is led by a President, an Executive Director, a Treasurer and seven Board Members who are elected by EUJS member organizations at the EUJS General Assembly every two years. The EUJS headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
==Mission==


==Current Leadership==
In contrast to the view that today's students are tomorrow's leaders, EUJS operates on the basis that the students which it serves and represents have a duty to act as leaders today, paving the way for a future infused with a strong Jewish identity and a commitment to the humanistic ideals embraced by Judaism.


President: '''Emma Hallali'''
Since its founding in 1978 the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) has been at the forefront of ensuring a Jewish future in Europe. Its vibrant student community has been paving the way for democracy, pluralism and inclusiveness throughout the continent – traveling to the FSU before the fall of the Berlin Wall, demonstrating in Durban, bringing the first international Jewish conference to Turkey, reinvigorating student Jewish life in Serbia immediately after the fall of Milosevic. EUJS has been at the forefront of mobilizing Jewish student and youth leaders in Eastern Europe, and has been among the first organizations to do so after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in the belief that a strong European Jewish community must incorporate these neglected communities. Today EUJS students and young adults serve the civic society in Europe with a strong and persistent voice, instilling the values embedded in Judaism into the broader society on the continent.


Executive Director: Eitan Bergman
==International Memberships==


* Treasurer: Caterina Cognini
EUJS is a constituent member of the European Youth Forum, the leading platform for more than 90 national youth councils and international NGOs, and is the only Jewish organization represented at that level. It is supported by the Council of Europe, the European Commission, all recognized Jewish organizations, and is a member of the [[World Union of Jewish Students]] (WUJS). EUJS is one of the largest international student organizations worldwide and the first Jewish Youth NGO to obtain the special Consultative Status to the ECOSOC of the United Nations. Its annual programming includes the largest annual event for Jewish youth in [[Europe Summer University]], as well as international, inter-religious, inter-generational seminars, study sessions at the European Youth Centre, and cutting-edge work that puts it at the forefront of the European context.


Board Members:
Full members status is held to the [[European Youth Forum]] ([[YFJ]]) which operates within the [[Council of Europe]] and [[European Union]] areas and works closely with both these bodies.
* Hanna Veiler (JSUD)
* Daniel Lazer (JUS)
* Judith Offenberg (UJS)
* Máté Zsédely-Holler (Hungary)
* Rafael Ruah Arie (JYP)
* Ron Stern (CUZM)
* Victoria Borochov (JOH)


==History of EUJS==
==History of EUJS==


In February 1978 around a cold table in Grenoble, France, one hundred and fifty European Jewish Students developed and approved a constitution and created a plan of action meant to cover all aspects of modern European Jewish student life and so the European Union of Jewish Students was formed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Son of hero speaks at Niles West|url=http://www.jlichicago.com/|work=www.jlichicago.com|access-date=Sep 28, 2014}}</ref>
In February 1978 in [[Grenoble]] one hundred and fifty European Jewish Students developed and approved a constitution and created a plan of action meant to cover all aspects of modern European Jewish student life.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Son of hero speaks at Niles West|url=http://www.jlichicago.com/|work=www.jlichicago.com|access-date=Sep 28, 2014}}</ref>


Moving to Brussels in 1978, EUJS first opened an office ( near Porte de Namur ) and later in 1980 to its current premises at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Over time, our Brussels secretariat became the paradigm through which student activism took on new meaning. Through the mandate of seventeen Chairpersons, each having moved to Brussels to take up office, hundreds of European leaders began their careers by walking through the doors of avenue Antoine Depage 3.
Moving to [[Brussels]] in 1978, EUJS first opened an office (near [[Namur Gate|Porte de Namur]]) and in 1980 moved to its current premises at the [[Université libre de Bruxelles|Université Libre de Bruxelles.]]


==International Memberships==
EUJS’ vitality has come from its ability to multi-task its role as a role model for Jewish activism, and a standard bearer for the European Youth Sector. Its determination to remain focused on parallel fronts—whether they be challenges facing our community, obstacles shared with our counterparts, or success achieved through crosscultural and inter-religious partnership—has weaved a fabric of activism that remains as true as it is strong.<ref>{{Cite web|title=JLI Offers Course on Lessons of the Holocaust|url=http://www.jewishpresstampa.com/news/2010-04-16/World_News/JLI_offers_course_on_lessons_of_the_Holocaust.html|work=www.jewishpresstampa.com|access-date=Sep 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121227/http://www.jewishpresstampa.com/news/2010-04-16/World_News/JLI_offers_course_on_lessons_of_the_Holocaust.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>


EUJS is a constituent member of the [[European Youth Forum]], the leading platform for more than 90 national youth councils and international NGOs, and is the only Jewish organization represented at that level. It is supported by the [[Council of Europe]], the [[European Commission]], and is a member of the [[World Union of Jewish Students]] (WUJS). EUJS is one of the largest international student organizations worldwide and the first Jewish Youth NGO to obtain the special Consultative Status to the ECOSOC of the United Nations. Its annual programming includes the largest annual event for Jewish youth in [[Europe Summer University]], as well as international, inter-religious, inter-generational seminars, and study sessions at the [[European Youth Centres|European Youth Centre]].
Our twenty-eight years has seen its share of milestones. In fact, some would say that our very birth was a milestone in itself, preceding the founding of almost all of Europe's largest youth organizations, including the powerful European Youth Forum.


Full members status is held to the [[European Youth Forum]] ([[YFJ]]) which operates within the [[Council of Europe]] and [[European Union]] areas and works closely with both these bodies.
Many European countries were pioneers in supporting and developing strong youth sectors, and the European Union is known for the voice, the influence and the power that it has traditionally given young people. This tradition has a long history.
Beginning with Albert Einstein's election as the first President of the [[World Union of Jewish Students]] in 1925, European Jewish youth have long understood the importance of organized existence. The trials of war and a continent torn apart by hate have long promulgated a simmering force among those emerging as future political, social and cultural leaders.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Course looks at effects of Holocaust|url=http://www.chabad.org/search/results.aspx?searchWord=%20Course%20looks%20at%20effects%20of%20Holocaust|work=www.chabad.org|access-date=Sep 28, 2014}}</ref>

Today, EUJS is proud to stand tall as it continues the tradition of activism embraced by Jewish communities across the world through its work with the European Youth Forum, the pre-eminent pan European body representing and advocating for young people. As the sole Jewish member, EUJS stands together with its faith based counterparts in entrenching the rights of minorities in a continental mindset, and in ensuring that the voice of Jewish youth is heard on issues encompassing the protection<ref>{{Cite web|title=Summit County to host Holocaust educational initiative|url=http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100421/NEWS/100429976|work=www.summitdaily.com|access-date=Sep 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060601/http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100421/NEWS/100429976|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As Sir Isaac Newton so aptly put it: if we have been able to see farther than others, it is because we have stood on the shoulders of giants. It is with this voice that we have come to be known: demonstrating against injustice; defending those around whom voices have fell silent; standing up for what we know is right; as a group and as individuals, we are multipliers of change— we are here.

The following are but a few of the many excerpts from EUJS’ history of political activism. These traces of history form part of a living record of European development and remain pivotal to our strength as a union.<ref>{{Cite web|title= New Generation of Scholars Ponders Jewish Existential Issues|url=http://lubavitch.com/news/article/2028758/New-Generation-of-Scholars-Ponders-Jewish-Existential-Issues.html|work=lubavitch.com|access-date=Sep 28, 2014}}</ref>

==Heading East==

In December 1982, in cooperation with the World Union of Jewish Students, Joel Kotek and Yoram Hess organized a visit to Budapest, where the delegates met with representatives of the Jewish community in Hungary. It was the first time that European delegates of a Jewish student organization visited an Eastern European country. For the Jewish students it was a milestone in the east–west dialogue, and for EUJS it was a critical step as it fought for the rights of Eastern European Jews. This visit would take on increased significance, as our infusion into Eastern Europe led many of our Warsaw Pact counterparts to lobby for our exclusion from mainstream European youth umbrella groups.


==Relationship with Soviet Jews==
==Reaching behind the Iron-Curtain==


The struggle for participation in the World Youth Festival in Moscow was the beginning of a series of activities of efforts for Soviet Jewry. On November 17, 1985 Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Geneva, and around 75 Jewish students, amongst them students from the UK and the Netherlands, demonstrated in solidarity
The struggle for participation in the [[World Festival of Youth and Students|World Youth Festival]] in [[Moscow]] was the beginning of a series of activities of efforts for [[History of the Jews in the Soviet Union|Soviet Jewry.]] On November 17, 1985, [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] met in Geneva, and around 75 Jewish students, amongst them students from the UK and the Netherlands, demonstrated in solidarity
with the Soviet Jewry.
with the Soviet Jewry.
Subsequently, in April 1986, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) took place in Bern, Switzerland. EUJS used this occasion to organize—in
Subsequently, in April 1986, the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe|Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (CSCE) took place in [[Bern]], Switzerland. EUJS used this occasion to organize—in
cooperation with the Swiss Union of Jewish Students (SUJS)—a special Seder in honor of the Jews of the Soviet Union in the Bern Synagogue. This special Seder, held on the evening of Sunday 27 April, was a huge success and an important milestone. The student representatives from Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland were joined by several national delegates to the CSCE meeting. In addition to the activities staged in Bern, the EUJS encouraged its national member unions to lobby their respective foreign ministries throughout the CSCE meeting so as to raise the case of Soviet Jewry.
cooperation with the [[Swiss Union of Jewish Students]] (SUJS)—a special [[Passover Seder|Seder]] in honor of the Jews of the Soviet Union in the Bern Synagogue. Student representatives from Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland were joined by several national delegates to the CSCE meeting. In addition to the activities staged in Bern, the EUJS encouraged its national member unions to lobby their respective foreign ministries throughout the CSCE meeting so as to raise the case of Soviet Jewry.


==2001 World Conference Against Racism==
==Crisis at Durban==


A delegation of EUJS students, led by then President Joelle Fiss, joined the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) and the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban from August 26 until September 7
A delegation of EUJS students, led by then President Joelle Fiss, joined the [[World Union of Jewish Students]] (WUJS) and the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) at the [[World Conference against Racism 2001|World Conference Against Racism]] in [[Durban]] from August 26 until September 7
2001. The EUJS delegates were present at the Youth Summit, the NGO Forum and the Governmental Conference. As the EUJS delegation arrived, they realized to what extent their role as young Jews would counterbalance the accusations imposed on the Jewish people.
2001. The EUJS delegates were present at the Youth Summit, the NGO Forum and the Governmental Conference. The event—in addition to spurring EUJS delegates to action on site—led to EUJS signing a common declaration with the [[Romani people|Roma]] student delegation, setting forth the possibility of a partnership to promote [[Holocaust education]], and subsequently resulting in an EUJS-led seminar in [[Budapest]] in November 2003.
During the Youth Summit at Durban, EUJS, together with WUJS and SAUJS, put forward a proposal calling for an end of the violence on both sides of the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Israeli-Palestinian conflict.]]
The event—in addition to spurring EUJS delegates to action on site—led to EUJS signing a common declaration with the Roma student delegation, setting forth the possibility of a partnership to promote Holocaust education, and subsequently resulting in an EUJS-led seminar in Budapest in November 2003.
During the Youth Summit at Durban, EUJS, together with WUJS and SAUJS put forward a proposal calling for an end of the violence on both sides of the Middle East conflict.
The proposal condemned the use of violence and called for students to take an active role in advocating peace in the region. A group led by a delegation of Palestinians students voted down this proposal.
The proposal condemned the use of violence and called for students to take an active role in advocating peace in the region. A group led by a delegation of Palestinians students voted down this proposal.
During the governmental conference, EUJS met with political leaders such as Louis Michel, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Walter Schwimmer, the Secretary
During the governmental conference, EUJS met with political leaders such as [[Louis Michel]], the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and [[Walter Schwimmer]], the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe.
General of the Council of Europe.


==The Austrian Far Right==
==The Austrian Far Right==


In February 2000, the ultra-right Freedom Party FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs), entered into a coalition government in Austria. Led by Jörg Haider, the party, praising Hitler's employment policy, was well known for his numerous anti-Semitic and xenophobic statements. EUJS organized a large demonstration in parallel to a leadership seminar that it was conducting at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
In February 2000, the ultra-right Freedom Party FPÖ [[Freedom Party of Austria|(Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs)]], entered into a coalition government in Austria. Led by [[Jörg Haider]], the party praised Hitler's employment policy. Haider was well known for his numerous anti-Semitic and xenophobic statements. EUJS organized a large demonstration in parallel to a leadership seminar that it was conducting at the Council of Europe in [[Strasbourg]].
The students walked in front of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to the Austrian embassy where they lit candles and threw toothbrushes in the mailbox in order to remind Austrians how Jews had to clean the sidewalk with toothbrushes during the Anschluss.
Students walked in front of the [[European Parliament]] and the Council of Europe to the Austrian embassy where they lit candles and threw toothbrushes in the mailbox in order to remind Austrians how Jews had to clean the sidewalk with toothbrushes during the [[Anschluss]].


==Against the Intifada==
==Speaking out in Europe's capital==


During one of the most violent periods of the second Intifada, Jews in Europe were under threat: synagogues were burning again, and Jews were feeling insecure and worried. Many Jewish organizations and communities came together and organized demonstrations against this dramatic rise in anti-Semitism.
During one of the most violent periods of the [[second Intifada]], many Jewish organizations and communities came together and organized demonstrations against anti-Semitism.
One of the most visible demonstrations was held in Brussels in April 2002. EUJS sent a delegation of students to represent the 180’000 young European Jews who were at the forefront of this fight in their universities, towns and countries.
One of the most visible demonstrations was held in [[Brussels]] in April 2002. EUJS sent a delegation of students to these demonstrations.


==Members==
==Members==
Line 76: Line 63:
! Name
! Name
! Abbrev.
! Abbrev.
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}
|{{ill|Unione Giovani Ebrei d'Italia|it|UGEI}}
|UGEI
|-
|-
|{{Flag|Austria}}
|{{Flag|Austria}}
|[[Jüdische Österreichische Hochschülerinnen]]
|Jüdische Österreichische Hochschülerinnen
|JÖH
|JÖH
|-
|{{flag|Luxembourg}}
|[[Union des Jeunes Gens Israélites de Luxembourg]]
|UJGIL
|-
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}
|{{flag|Belgium}}
|[[Union des Étudiants Juifs de Belgique]]
|[[Union des Étudiants Juifs de Belgique]]
|UEJB
|UEJB
|-
|{{Flag|Belarus}}
|Union of Belarusian Jewish Organizations and Communities
|
|-
|{{Flag|Bulgaria}}
|Union of Jewish Students and Youth in Bulgaria
|
|-
|{{Flag|Croatia}}
|Croatian Union of Jewish Youth
|CUJY
|-
|{{Flag|Czech Republic}}
|Česká Unie Židovské Mládeže
|CUZM
|-
|{{Flag|Denmark}}
|Dansk Jodisk Ungdomssammenslutning
|DJUS
|-
|{{Flag|Estonia}}
|Union of Jewish Students of Estonia
|UJSE
|-
|{{Flag|Finland}}
|Juutalainen Opiskelijayhdistys
|JOY
|-
|-
|{{flag|France}}
|{{flag|France}}
Line 97: Line 104:
|UEJF
|UEJF
|-
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}
|{{Flag|Germany}}
|Jüdische Studierendenunion Deutschland
|[[Swiss Union of Jewish Students]]
|JSUD
|-
|{{Flag|Greece}}
|Hellenic Jewish Students
|ENE
|-
|{{Flag|Hungary}}
|Zsidó Fiatalok Magyarországi Egyesülete
|
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}
|[[Unione Giovani Ebrei d'Italia]]
|UGEI
|-
|{{Flag|Latvia}}
|Union of Jewish Youth in Latvia
|UJYL
|-
|{{Flag|Lithuania}}
|Lithuanian Union of Jewish Students
|LUJS
|-
|{{flag|Luxembourg}}
|[[Union des Jeunes Gens Israélites de Luxembourg]]
|UJGIL
|-
|{{Flag|Moldova}}
|Haverim
|
|-
|{{Flag|North Macedonia}}
|Makedonska Unija Evrejskih Studenata
|MEM
|-
|{{Flag|Netherlands}}
|Joodse Sudenten En Jongerenvereniging
|IJAR
|-
|{{Flag|Norway}}
|Norsk Jodisk Jdisk Studentforening
|NJS
|-
|{{Flag|Poland}}
|Zydowska Ogolnopolska Organizacja Milodziezowa - until 2016 when it ended functioning<ref>{{cite news |title=08.02.2016 – Hillel zamiast Żydowskiej Ogólnopolskiej Organizacji Młodzieżowej? {{!}} Wirtualny Sztetl |url=https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/enwiki/w/18-warszawa/120-aktualnosci/56001-08022016-hillel-zamiast-zydowskiej-ogolnopolskiej-organizacji-mlodziezowej | date = 8 February 2016}}</ref>
|ZOOM
|-
|{{Flag|Portugal}}
|Jewish Youth of Portugal
|JYP
|-
|{{Flag|Romania}}
|Organizatia Tinerilor Evrei din Romania
|OTER
|-
|{{Flag|Russia}}
|Russian Union of Jewish Students
|RUJS
|-
|{{Flag|Serbia}}
|Association of Jewish Youth Clubs of Serbia
|
|-
|{{Flag|Slovakia}}
|Slovenka Unia Zidovskej Meladeze
|SUZM - SUJY
|-
|{{Flag|Slovenia}}
|Kadima: Jewish Student and Youth Organization of Slovenia
|KADIMA
|-
|{{Flag|Spain}}
|Federacíon de Jóvenes Judíos en España
|FEJJE
|-
|{{Flag|Sweden}}
|Judiska UngdomsfÖrbundet I Sverige
|JUS
|-
|{{Flag|Switzerland}}
|Swiss Union of Jewish Union
|SUJS
|SUJS
|-
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom}}
|{{Flag|Turkey}}
|Turkish Union of Jewish Students
|TUJS
|-
|{{Flag|Ukraine}}
|Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students
|UUJS
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom}}{{flag|Ireland}}
|[[Union of Jewish Students]]
|[[Union of Jewish Students]]
|UJS
|UJS
|-
|-
|{{Flag|Germany}}
|[[Jüdische Studierendenunion Deutschland]]
|JSUD
|}
|}


Line 114: Line 206:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{official|http://www.eujs.org}}
* {{official website|http://www.eujs.org}}


{{Jewish Youth and Student Organisations}}
{{Jewish Youth and Student Organisations}}
{{European Youth Forum}}
{{European Youth Forum}}
{{European Students' Union}}
{{European Students' Union}}{{multiple issues|
{{more footnotes needed|date=July 2012}}
{{Authority control}}
{{primary sources|date=July 2012}}
{{POV|date=February 2014}}
}}{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Jewish youth organizations]]
[[Category:Jewish youth organizations]]
Line 127: Line 222:
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in Europe]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in Europe]]
[[Category:European student religious organizations]]
[[Category:European student religious organizations]]
[[Category:Ethnic student organizations]]
[[Category:International Jewish organizations]]

Latest revision as of 10:33, 2 October 2024

European Union of Jewish Students

The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) is a Jewish, Zionist, pluralistic, inclusive and non-partisan umbrella organisation. EUJS supports Jewish student unions throughout Europe and represents its members to European institutions, the OSCE, the UNHRC, as well as to other major Jewish and non-Jewish organisations. Founded in 1978, EUJS currently has 36 member organisations, spanning from Russia to Scandinavia to the United Kingdom. EUJS is led by a President, an Executive Director, a Treasurer and seven Board Members who are elected by EUJS member organizations at the EUJS General Assembly every two years. The EUJS headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.

Current Leadership

[edit]

President: Emma Hallali

Executive Director: Eitan Bergman

  • Treasurer: Caterina Cognini

Board Members:

  • Hanna Veiler (JSUD)
  • Daniel Lazer (JUS)
  • Judith Offenberg (UJS)
  • Máté Zsédely-Holler (Hungary)
  • Rafael Ruah Arie (JYP)
  • Ron Stern (CUZM)
  • Victoria Borochov (JOH)

History of EUJS

[edit]

In February 1978 in Grenoble one hundred and fifty European Jewish Students developed and approved a constitution and created a plan of action meant to cover all aspects of modern European Jewish student life.[1]

Moving to Brussels in 1978, EUJS first opened an office (near Porte de Namur) and in 1980 moved to its current premises at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

International Memberships

[edit]

EUJS is a constituent member of the European Youth Forum, the leading platform for more than 90 national youth councils and international NGOs, and is the only Jewish organization represented at that level. It is supported by the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and is a member of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). EUJS is one of the largest international student organizations worldwide and the first Jewish Youth NGO to obtain the special Consultative Status to the ECOSOC of the United Nations. Its annual programming includes the largest annual event for Jewish youth in Europe Summer University, as well as international, inter-religious, inter-generational seminars, and study sessions at the European Youth Centre.

Full members status is held to the European Youth Forum (YFJ) which operates within the Council of Europe and European Union areas and works closely with both these bodies.

Relationship with Soviet Jews

[edit]

The struggle for participation in the World Youth Festival in Moscow was the beginning of a series of activities of efforts for Soviet Jewry. On November 17, 1985, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Geneva, and around 75 Jewish students, amongst them students from the UK and the Netherlands, demonstrated in solidarity with the Soviet Jewry. Subsequently, in April 1986, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) took place in Bern, Switzerland. EUJS used this occasion to organize—in cooperation with the Swiss Union of Jewish Students (SUJS)—a special Seder in honor of the Jews of the Soviet Union in the Bern Synagogue. Student representatives from Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland were joined by several national delegates to the CSCE meeting. In addition to the activities staged in Bern, the EUJS encouraged its national member unions to lobby their respective foreign ministries throughout the CSCE meeting so as to raise the case of Soviet Jewry.

2001 World Conference Against Racism

[edit]

A delegation of EUJS students, led by then President Joelle Fiss, joined the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) and the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban from August 26 until September 7 2001. The EUJS delegates were present at the Youth Summit, the NGO Forum and the Governmental Conference. The event—in addition to spurring EUJS delegates to action on site—led to EUJS signing a common declaration with the Roma student delegation, setting forth the possibility of a partnership to promote Holocaust education, and subsequently resulting in an EUJS-led seminar in Budapest in November 2003. During the Youth Summit at Durban, EUJS, together with WUJS and SAUJS, put forward a proposal calling for an end of the violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The proposal condemned the use of violence and called for students to take an active role in advocating peace in the region. A group led by a delegation of Palestinians students voted down this proposal. During the governmental conference, EUJS met with political leaders such as Louis Michel, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Walter Schwimmer, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

The Austrian Far Right

[edit]

In February 2000, the ultra-right Freedom Party FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs), entered into a coalition government in Austria. Led by Jörg Haider, the party praised Hitler's employment policy. Haider was well known for his numerous anti-Semitic and xenophobic statements. EUJS organized a large demonstration in parallel to a leadership seminar that it was conducting at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Students walked in front of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to the Austrian embassy where they lit candles and threw toothbrushes in the mailbox in order to remind Austrians how Jews had to clean the sidewalk with toothbrushes during the Anschluss.

Against the Intifada

[edit]

During one of the most violent periods of the second Intifada, many Jewish organizations and communities came together and organized demonstrations against anti-Semitism. One of the most visible demonstrations was held in Brussels in April 2002. EUJS sent a delegation of students to these demonstrations.

Members

[edit]
Country Name Abbrev.
 Austria Jüdische Österreichische Hochschülerinnen JÖH
 Belgium Union des Étudiants Juifs de Belgique UEJB
 Belarus Union of Belarusian Jewish Organizations and Communities
 Bulgaria Union of Jewish Students and Youth in Bulgaria
 Croatia Croatian Union of Jewish Youth CUJY
 Czech Republic Česká Unie Židovské Mládeže CUZM
 Denmark Dansk Jodisk Ungdomssammenslutning DJUS
 Estonia Union of Jewish Students of Estonia UJSE
 Finland Juutalainen Opiskelijayhdistys JOY
 France Union des étudiants juifs de France UEJF
 Germany Jüdische Studierendenunion Deutschland JSUD
 Greece Hellenic Jewish Students ENE
 Hungary Zsidó Fiatalok Magyarországi Egyesülete
 Italy Unione Giovani Ebrei d'Italia UGEI
 Latvia Union of Jewish Youth in Latvia UJYL
 Lithuania Lithuanian Union of Jewish Students LUJS
 Luxembourg Union des Jeunes Gens Israélites de Luxembourg UJGIL
 Moldova Haverim
 North Macedonia Makedonska Unija Evrejskih Studenata MEM
 Netherlands Joodse Sudenten En Jongerenvereniging IJAR
 Norway Norsk Jodisk Jdisk Studentforening NJS
 Poland Zydowska Ogolnopolska Organizacja Milodziezowa - until 2016 when it ended functioning[2] ZOOM
 Portugal Jewish Youth of Portugal JYP
 Romania Organizatia Tinerilor Evrei din Romania OTER
 Russia Russian Union of Jewish Students RUJS
 Serbia Association of Jewish Youth Clubs of Serbia
 Slovakia Slovenka Unia Zidovskej Meladeze SUZM - SUJY
 Slovenia Kadima: Jewish Student and Youth Organization of Slovenia KADIMA
 Spain Federacíon de Jóvenes Judíos en España FEJJE
 Sweden Judiska UngdomsfÖrbundet I Sverige JUS
  Switzerland Swiss Union of Jewish Union SUJS
 Turkey Turkish Union of Jewish Students TUJS
 Ukraine Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students UUJS
 United Kingdom Ireland Union of Jewish Students UJS

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Son of hero speaks at Niles West". www.jlichicago.com. Retrieved Sep 28, 2014.
  2. ^ "08.02.2016 – Hillel zamiast Żydowskiej Ogólnopolskiej Organizacji Młodzieżowej? | Wirtualny Sztetl". 8 February 2016.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=European_Union_of_Jewish_Students&oldid=1248947211"