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.
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.
EUJS was founded in February 1978 at a congress in Château d’Herbeys, France, where over 150 Jewish students from across Western Europe convened. The creation of EUJS was influenced by the spirit of European integration and the need for a pan-European Jewish student movement. During this first Congress 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] and Claude Marinower (Belgium) was elected the first EUJS Chairperson, with Mark Dines (UK) serving as Executive Director.
In 1982, Joel Kotek (Belgium) was elected Chairperson and led EUJS toward greater independence. Under his leadership, EUJS gained membership in the European Coordination Bureau for International Youth Organizations (ECB) in 1983 and expanded its political influence within European institutions.
The EUJS Summer University, now the largest annual Jewish student gathering in Europe, was launched in 1984 in the UK. This event became a cornerstone of EUJS programming, bringing together students for educational workshops, leadership training, and networking.
During the late 1980s, EUJS played a crucial role in advocating for Soviet Jewry and was involved in diplomatic efforts with the European Youth Forum and international institutions. It also mobilized student protests against the Carmelite Convent in Auschwitz, successfully pressuring the Vatican to relocate the convent outside the Auschwitz concentration camp premises.
Post-Cold War Era & Eastern European Expansion (1990-2000)
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.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, EUJS extended its reach to Central and Eastern Europe. Jewish student unions in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic States joined EUJS, leading to an unprecedented expansion. In 1993, EUJS opened an office in Budapest to support emerging student unions in post-communist countries. However, financial difficulties led to its closure in 1995.
The Bosnian War (1992-1995) and ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia led EUJS to engage in humanitarian efforts, including aid for refugees and advocacy against war crimes. In 2000, EUJS launched the Re:Evolution seminar in Belgrade, Serbia, fostering Jewish student cooperation in the Balkans.
21st Century Developments (2000-2022)
In the early 2000s, EUJS increased its involvement in combating antisemitism in Europe and defending Jewish student rights on campus. The organization actively engaged with the United Nations, European Parliament, and the Council of Europe.
EUJS was also present at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (Durban, 2001), where it confronted antisemitic rhetoric that dominated the NGO forum. 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.
EUJS played a critical role in opposing far-right political parties in Europe. 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.
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.
At the Durban Review Conference (Durban II) in April 2009, held in Geneva, Switzerland, EUJS played a central role in protesting the conference’s antisemitic atmosphere and the participation of then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The conference, intended to combat racism, became a platform for virulently anti-Israel rhetoric, echoing the original Durban I (2001) Conference, where similar issues arose. EUJS sent a large delegation to Durban II, where they engaged in demonstrations inside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. When Ahmadinejad, known for Holocaust denial and calls to destroy Israel, took the stage, EUJS members, alongside other Jewish activists, protested inside the UN chamber and staging a walkout. This led to EUJS members being forcibly removed from the UN building by security. A French activist from the French Union of Jewish Students (UEJF) dressed as a clown disrupted Ahmadinejad’s speech, mocking the Iranian leader’s controversial statements. This act became a widely covered moment in international media, highlighting the absurdity of allowing a leader accused of human rights violations to speak at a UN anti-racism conference.
Today, EUJS continues to work on issues of antisemitism, Jewish education, Holocaust remembrance, and Israel advocacy, while maintaining strong partnerships with European institutions and Jewish organizations worldwide.
2022-Today
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Stance on the Ukraine-Russia war
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, EUJS demonstrated solidarity with the Ukrainian people and condemned the aggression. The organization emphasized the importance of standing with those suffering from war crimes and persecution, reflecting on the Jewish historical experience of oppression.
Furthermore, EUJS collaborated with other educational and youth organizations to support Ukrainian students and academics. The collective efforts aimed to establish EU support schemes for students at risk and fellowship programs for researchers affected by the conflict
Response to the October 7, 2023 Attacks
The attacks on October 7, 2023, had profound implications for Jewish communities worldwide. EUJS promptly addressed the situation by issuing a statement emphasizing the need for open dialogue and peace. The organization condemned the barbaric attacks committed by Hamas and highlighted the subsequent rise in anti-Jewish hatred globally.
In the aftermath, EUJS documented a surge in antisemitic incidents across European universities. The organization's report from February 2024 indicated that over 110 incidents were reported, underscoring a climate of fear among Jewish students. EUJS called on university administrations and European institutions to take concrete actions to ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish students.
Additionally, EUJS condemned the misuse of Jewish identities by anti-Zionist groups to further agendas that the organization viewed as antisemitic. In January 2024, EUJS, along with 21 national Jewish student unions, issued a statement criticizing anti-Zionist Jews who were perceived as being used by groups with antisemitic agendas.
Level Up! Conference Incident (April 2024)
In April 2024, during the Level Up! conference organized by the European Youth Forum in Brussels, EUJS delegates faced an incident at the closing plenary held in the hemicycle of the European Parliament. Participants disrupted the ceremony by shouting slogans such as "Free Palestine" and accusing Israel of committing genocide. EUJS condemned these actions, stating that the event was hijacked by anti-Israel protesters, leading to a hostile environment for Jewish students.
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